Mendocino County Today: Wednesday, March 2, 2022

Maybe Rain | Dry Feb | 27 New Cases | Covid Monthly | Big River | Masks Optional | Seeking Housing | Local Tempeh | Log Rafts | Water Projects | Panhorst Bridge | Growers Meet | Seed Library | PG&E Hike | Tripping Gators | CoCo Raise | Log Jam | Ed Notes | Rambo Date | Yesterday's Catch | Resisting Invasion | Hot Spots | Ukraine Updates | Bear Trap | Southern Front | Stop Putin | Everyone Loses | Own 94% | Biden's Speech | Pay Inside | Deregulated Finance | Nuclear Gamble | Unnatural Foods | Inner Circle | Luxury Liner | Putin Allies | Craig Pacemaker | FB Baseball | Ignoring Progressives | Vieiras | Social Workers | Lena Ottoson | Rehabilitation | Almost Fringe | Ukiah Artwalk | Boat Sinking | AV Village | Church

SPOTTY SHOWERS will continue to be possible today across Del Norte and northern Humboldt counties as a stalled front lurks off the coast. A disturbance will approach later today and push the boundary across the area, bringing widespread rain back to Northwest California into Thursday morning. Snow levels will really drop on Friday as another disturbance moves over Northern California. Another round of rain and some mountain snow will accompany this disturbance, bringing some snow to portions of Highways 3, 36, and 299 on Friday. A return to those chilly early morning temperatures is expected as the colder air filters into the region. High pressure will start to build in over the Northeast Pacific this weekend and slowly drift eastward over the West Coast as we head into next week. Another round of dry weather appears probable next week as a result. Otherwise, winds will be gusty at the coast Thursday night and over the ridges on Friday as the second disturbance moves southward. (NWS)

RAINFALL TOTALS
Monthly figures for the 2021-22 rain season (Oct-Oct) thus far:

Boonville (23.21" total)

2021
10.67" Oct
1.99" Nov
9.49" Dec

2022
0.96" Jan
0.13" Feb

Yorkville (31.16" total)

2021
13.40" Oct
3.4" Nov
12.49" Dec

2022
1.64" Jan
0.24" Feb

27 NEW COVID CASES (since last Friday) reported in Mendocino County yesterday morning.

COVID MONTHLY CASES/DEATHS (Mendocino County)

2020
229 / 9 (Jul)
392 / 8 (Aug)
260 / 2 (Sep)
210 / 2 (Oct)
420 / 2 (Nov)
964 / 4 (Dec)

2021
876 / 11 (Jan)
382 / 5 (Feb)
131 / 3 (Mar)
82 / 2 (Apr)
194 / 1 (May)
164 / 1 (Jun)
323 / 2 (Jul)
1365 / 12 (Aug)
1107 / 20 (Sep)
519 / 5 (Oct)
518 / 10 (Nov)
400 / 6 (Dec)

2022
3429 / 12 (Jan)
793 / 6 (Feb)

AV SCHOOLS, OPTIONAL MASKING COMING UP

Dear Anderson Valley Community,

Effective in school on Monday, March 14, masking in California schools will be strongly encouraged, but is not required. If infection conditions change, we will respond accordingly based on the Public Health recommendations specific to our school site and infection response. I want to reiterate that any student or staff member that would like to continue to wear a mask is welcome to do so. The schools will continue to provide free masks upon demand. We will also continue with the weekly pooled testing to monitor infection rates and respond accordingly based on the testing results.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Take care,

Louise Simson
Superintendent
Anderson Valley Unified School District
Cell: 707-684-1017

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WEDNESDAY MORNING (March 2) TESTING UPDATE from Supe Simson

The Monday pooled sample that was analyzed at the lab detected one positive pool. Staff will rapid test all students and staff associated with the class today.

Please do not call the office. You will be notified in a separate email if your child’s class had a positive and if they will be tested. You will ONLY BE CONTACTED if your student has a positive result.

Please continue to monitor your student's health, and if they show any signs of cough or fever, please keep them home and contact the office for next steps.

SEEKING HOUSING 

Greetings everyone. Early April, I relocate to Boonville to begin as the new Dental Hygienist at AVHC. My elderly gentle shepherd Jack and myself seek a home (room, cottage, apartment and the like). A few bits: I'm a quiet neatnik with a healthy lifestyle & kind spirit; Jack is a Single-Animal Household dog (but IS great with babies/kiddos). Any leads are welcome. Thank You in advance, and maybe I'll be cleaning your teeth. 

Amy Pittelkau. (No contact info provided; contact the AV Health Center at 895-3477 for further information.) 

SYD’S TEMPEH, WHITE COURTESY PHONE

Dear Syd’s Tempeh,

I saw your ad (DBA) in the AVA and would like to contract you. I love fresh tempeh! Are you selling yours at any local outlets? Please let me know.

Louise Mariana, 937-4837

Mendocino

ED NOTE: According to a quick on-line search Mr. Sydney Grange is (was?) the Secretary of the Community “Garden Friendy Community” in Fort Bragg. (But it may no longer be active.) You could also try writing to him at the address on the DBA: 17557 A Simpson Ln, Fort Bragg, CA 95437.

REGULAR MEETING OF THE WATER PROJECTS COMMITTEE

Anderson Valley Community Services District

To be held via teleconference Phone # 669 900 6833 Zoom Meeting ID 845 5084 3330 Password 048078

Thursday March 3rd, 2022 at 10:30am

Call To Order And Roll Call:

Recognition Of Guests And Hearing Of Public:

Approval Of December 2nd, 2021, January 6th, 2022 And February 3rd, 2022 Regular Meeting Minutes:

Changes Or Modification To This Agenda: 

Report On Drinking Water Project:

Report On Wastewater Project:

Public Outreach:

Concerns Of Members:

Adjournment:

THE RUSSIAN GULCH BRIDGE, also known as the Frederick W. Panhorst Bridge is an open-spandrel deck arch bridge. This incredible coastal California structure was designed by Henry E. Kuphal who also designed Big Sur's iconic Bixby Canyon Bridge.

IF ONE WERE LOOKING for the down-trodden, the hopeless, or the weed-grower of days gone by, they were not to be found in Parker’s assembled group. Instead, a group of determined business owners coalesced with a fire and an action plan in place; banding together to enact change on local and state levels while forming alliances that lower the costs of production and create diversified outlets for their products. First on their list of actionable items is going to the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors with their concerns on Wednesday, March 2nd. Armed with the knowledge that the cannabis industry yielded $113 million in revenue last year in Mendocino County, this group is coming together to help each other survive as they demand to be given a piece of the pie of the industry they helped create. (Lisa Music)

mendofever.com/2022/03/01/mendocino-cannabis-operators-gather-with-an-eye-on-survival-and-reform/

THE SEASON OF SEED IS UPON US!

If you would like to browse our seed library in-person at the Ukiah Branch Library, we would appreciate you making an appointment in advance so that we can make sure staff are available to help meet your needs!

Thanks! We appreciate it AND you!

Give us a call at 707.463.4490 or email the Ukiah Library staff at: Mendocino.County.Library@gmail.com

PG&E SEEKS HIGHER BILLS TO PUT LINES UNDERGROUND

by George Avalos

PG&E monthly bills would jump about $30 a month under a new proposal by the utility behemoth to bury thousands of lines underground as a way to ward off the risk of catastrophic wildfires.

The power utility is seeking state approval for a revenue increase of $10.5 billion to bury 3,600 electricity lines, according to a new PG&E proposal that was sketched out Monday in a federal regulatory filing.

Electric bills could rise by $31.41 a month for average residential non-care customers whose bills aren’t subsidiary and $20.73 a month for care customers who have low incomes, PG&E estimated Monday.

(Courtesy, the Ukiah Daily Journal)

CURTIS GETS HIS BIG RAISE

by Mark Scaramella

Predictably, the Supervisors unanimously approved County Counsel Christian Curtis’s giant pay raise Tuesday morning with the costly assistance of a Mr. Jonathan Holtzman, co-founding partner of Renne Public Law Group in San Francisco and boss of Amy Ackerman who together held the Board’s hand through the process to make sure it was handled legally, unlike the December mini-fiasco when it was agendized incorrectly, corrected incorrectly, then postponed while the Board, “out of an abundance of caution,” rescinded the raise and arranged to hire the hundreds-of-dollars-an-hour SF attorneys to tell them what the person getting the big raise should have already told them, but instead screwed up. The new increase comes with a four year contract with more big raises later keyed to inflation. 

Supervisor McGourty said Mr. Curtis deserved the raise because “he has a good work ethic,” and he answers his phone, a performance bar that is barely one step above he wakes up in the morning. 

Mr. Holtzman spent several costly hours researching what other NorCal County Counsels get and concluded that Mr. Curtis is actually underpaid by comparison. Supervisor Gjerde agreed, saying that other while county employees are getting “median” pay in their respective pay ranges, Mr. Curtis is getting the low end of his range. Not mentioning that Mr. Curtis’s “low end” is now a base pay of $193k with a luxurioius benefit package that puts his total cost to the taxpayers at around $330k plus out year increases. 

District Attorney David Eyster, who tells anyone who’ll listen that he’s one of the highest rated criminal attorneys in the State (because he is), makes a base pay of about $180k per year. Mr. Curtis has never been rated, and has never asked to be rated, yet he now makes well over what the highly rated DA makes. So we expect it won’t be long before the DA points out to the Supervisors that he does a lot more than answer his phone. 

Besides the usual legal requirements and qualifications, the accompanying County Counsel Job Description says that he “is regularly required to sit, use hand to finger, handle, or feel, reach with hands and arms and speak and hear,” and “is occasionally required to stand and walk.”

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BACKGROUND: If anyone doubts that the DA is paying attention to the County Counsel and his performance and his pay, they need only refer back to the DA’s appearance before the Supervisors in 2014 when then-Assistant County Counsel Doug Losak was up for promotion.

DA EYSTER RIPS LOSAK (October 15, 2014)

DA David Eyster’s remarks to the Board of Supervisors stunned everyone in earshot yesterday (Tuesday) because it’s extremely unusual in Mendocino County for a lawyer to public denounce a fellow lawyer. (Eyster made two sets of remarks: First was pay-raise-related; Second was regarding Losak's pending closed session evaluation.)

“Salary Issues: Mendocino County Human Resources policy clearly defines ‘acting’ department head, but there is no policy, and I stress there is NO policy, and no discernible difference in the English language between ‘acting’ and ‘interim’ except ‘interim’ is not part of the county human resources jargon until now. Has the board created a new employment category? ‘Acting’ is defined in Mendocino County Policy Number 41. I assume that Mr. Losak as chief Deputy County Counsel was receiving a salary based on my analysis of approximately $97,627 per year. ‘Such pay increase to the acting department head should not be greater than 10% unless the assignment is for longer than six months. Upon the authorization of the board the salary may be adjusted another 5% after the initial six months. If the difference between the employee's previous pay range for the hiring classification is greater than or equal to 20%. Unless the term ‘interim’ is being used intentionally to circumvent county policy, Mr. Losak's salary extension can only be an additional 5% over his previous salary per human resources policy and procedure for increase of $4481 per annum to the previous 10% raise of February 2014 for a final annual salary of $112,271 per annum. Also pursuant to that policy the Director of Human Resources has declared that every 4-6 months the board should conduct an appropriate review of an ‘acting’ employee, except in the case of extended illness of the incumbent of the position being covered, but no such acting classification shall last longer than one year from the date of the first assignment. However, if there is a need to exceed one year, the human resources director will review such assignments for appropriateness. Other compensation, and I stress, normally associated with a higher classification shall not be granted during any acting or temporary out-of-classification assignment.’

“Two individuals in the past have been Acting District Attorney, Mr. Faulder and Ms. Norman. These assignments both involved supervising the County's major law enforcement and public safety office of approximately 45 employees versus the County Counsel office's eight employees. Both were rewarded with a salary of $92,830.

“Regarding the Closed Session Evaluation, County Counsel: Having a patron, especially when that patron is Chairman of this Board, is a good situation for Mr. Losak. However, while the Chair believes that acting County Counsel's work product ‘has been nothing less than extraordinary,’ to quote from the Ukiah Daily Journal, that is not the characterization that I and other attorneys would use. I would like to share my experience with Mr. Losak. I hold my attorneys to a higher work standard and public standard than you have held for your County Counsel. Generally, after his early-morning run in with the law, Mr. Losak would have been asked to resign or would have been fired if he had been working in my office. There are legal ratings services that may assist this board concerning how the Acting County Counsel may be viewed by the greater legal community in total objectivity. The old-school rating service, Martindale Hubbell, conducts peer reviews of attorneys. After evaluating confidential responses including those of local peers and judges, Martindale issues an attorney rating, the highest of which is an A/D rating. The top two attorneys in the District Attorney's Office, the District Attorney and Assistant District Attorney, have been peer-reviewed by this system and have been rated A/D Preeminent, five out of five. There are 68 attorneys in Mendocino County who have been peer-reviewed and only 22 of the 68 are A/D rated. In my case I have held my preeminent rating since 1998. No other attorney in the Mendocino County Counsel's office has been peer-reviewed, and all are unrated. The newer school rating service, AVVO, rates attorneys based on a confidential algorithm which factors experience, industry recognition, publishing and professional conduct. Six of the top 15 lawyers rated in Mendocino County out of a total of 209 attorneys work in the District Attorney's Office. The top three AVVO rated attorneys in the county who are rated superb are the District Attorney, 10 out of 10, Ms. Norman 10 out of 10, and Assistant District Attorney, 9.9 out of 10. Mr. Losak's rating is 6.5 out of 10. He is the highest rated attorney in the County Counsel's office, yet he is rated number 65 of the 209 attorneys in the county. Part of being extraordinary is the ability to give correct and timely legal advice. The chair has expressed his enthusiasm over the case involving the baby's death in Fort Bragg. Assuming that the County should have paid any amount, the Assistant District Attorney's decisive prosecution was what opened the door for the settlement. I should note that even my young attorneys would know how many votes it takes to pass any item when only three supervisors are in attendance. Finally, Mr. Losak's recent opinion that County department heads need not respond to grand jury reports is not only an affront to the grand jury system, it is contrary to law. See Penal Code 933. Section B. And please remember the Brown Act. Your closed session today has been agendized as a closed session performance evaluation for Acting County Counsel only. By law, please let me remind you, salary cannot be discussed as part of today's closed session.”

After warning the Board not to discuss Losak's pay raise in closed session, Eyster added, “otherwise I'll be back here with a lawsuit myself.”

According to observers at the Board meeting, the Board and Losak seemed stunned. Losak appeared to be coughing, choking, turning red and trying to scrunch down in his chair. Most of the people in the audience, mostly County employees, applauded as Eyster returned to his seat.

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SO FAR, ANYWAY, we have yet to hear DA Eyster offer his opinion of Mr. Curtis’s performance or his new salary. But we’d sure like to hear it. If Eyster was willing to weigh in on Losak (or more recently Auditor-Controller Chamise Cubbison), it seems only fair that we hear the County’s top law enforcement officer’s opinion of Mr. Curtis. The precedent was set with Losak. For whatever faults Mr. Losak may have had — and he had a few, but he also had some significant pluses — he was much more reluctant to farm out claims and lawsuits to expensive outside law firms, for example — he was never caught screwing up a simple pay raise agenda item and embarrasing the Board with the County’s only acknowledged Brown Act violation in County history and requiring an expensive outside attorney from Frisco to fix it.

ED NOTES

I GET GOVERNMENT books on tape, a program designed for the blind. I'm only half blind so I don't qualify, strictly speaking, but Doctor Apfel at the Boonville Clinic scrawled his testimonial that I could use the help so I'm in my tenth year as a satisfied customer.

IT'S A GREAT PROGRAM. You can get a sign-up form at any library, ask your doctor to sign it and you're in. If your doctor won't sign, get a new doctor. An indestructible tape player will arrive in the mail designed to play only the government tapes which, in my experience, are randomly selected by, it seems, a sight-impaired worker in Sacramento because I've never received a single book I ordered, although periodic catalogs arrive in the mail complete with order forms.

I LISTEN to a lot of books on my weekly commute I'd otherwise be unaware of, and believe me the tape library has taped everything ever in print and then some. But you never know what will arrive. I daresay I'm the only person in all of Mendoland to have downed a biography of Miss Peggy Lee. I found it quite interesting, perhaps because I once saw Miss Lee in concert on a bizarre date with one of her fans who dragged me to it at the Masonic Auditorium, circa 1960 or so. “How did you like the show, Bruce?” Truth to tell, Gloria, it mystified me. I didn't get it, but as an experience it qualified as a one-off.

ANOTHER luminary I'd never heard of before I got his book on government audio is Tommy Tomlinson, a sports writer and author of ‘The Elephant in the Room.’ The elephant is him. I almost sent it back without giving it a chance, assuming it was 350 pages of weight loss strategies. I'm glad I didn't. It's a wonderful account of his painful life as a 500-pounder, but offers much more than a simple account of how he got that big and his struggles to get down to a mere extra-large. Tomlinson is a Southerner, national home of deep fry and sugar in everything. He was big as a child and just kept on getting bigger, popping in and out of fast food emporiums several times a day to load up on negative food value delicacies. But as he describes his enlarging processes Tomlinson also gives us touching portraits of his blue collar parents and his own impoverished but never food-short childhood. The man is positively heroic as he relates, in graphic detail, what it's like to live with piano-case bulk. Despite being so large, the guy makes an enviable writing career for himself as a regular at ESPN and Sports Illustrated and, miraculously, finds love with a woman loyal to him as he is. Fascinating book. A true page-turner and highly recommended.

IF YOU WONDER why your property taxes keep going up and up, Tuesday's meeting of the Supervisors is perfect example of why as the five profligates granted their County Counsel an entirely undeserved raise from about $165k to about $197,000-plus, and they were vague on the stray but large accompanying benefits raising his total cost to around $330k per year.

I PAY a little over $5,000 a year on my austere acre in central Boonville, an amount I expect to be larger this year. I often see spiffy new County SUVs passing by on their lazy 9-5 errands on Highway 128. I don't begrudge anybody a living wage, and it's a sad irony that many County line workers also qualify for food stamps but, when it comes to the management levels, especially the managers the five profligates see all the time, huge raises are common features of their bi-monthly zooms.

COUNTY COUNSEL CURTIS screwed up the Brown Act legalities the first time the Supes tried to give him more public money. So what did they do? They brought in a legal mastermind from San Francisco to make sure they didn't screw up this second attempt at a gift of public funds. If a guy can't even get his own unearned raise right, why does he deserve it? The Frisco lawyer-consultant cost us a pretty penny to zoom in with an underling to make sure Curtis got his money. (We're filing a public records act request to see how much today's expensive farce cost us, on top of the raise itself.) If you, as a voter, return any of these supervisors for another term…

RAMBO?

On Saturday, February 19, 2022 at about 9:30 P.M. the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office was made aware of situation in the 8000 block of East Road in Redwood Valley.

An adult female was home alone when she heard a knock on her door. Thinking it was one of her roommates, she opened the door slightly and was pushed back by the door being forced open.

An adult male, later identified as Adrian Herrera-Candaneda, 25, of Redwood Valley, entered the residence and went into her bedroom and got into her bed, covering himself with the bedding.

The adult female recognized Herrera-Candaneda as one of her regular customers from the restaurant where she worked, but she did not know his true name. The adult female only knew him as “Rambo” or “Adrian”.

The adult female stood outside of her bedroom and pleaded for Herrera-Candaneda to leave the residence, but he refused.

Eventually the adult female was able to get Herrera-Candaneda to get out of her bed and leave the room, but he refused to leave the house. Herrera-Candaneda eventually sat down in the residence and pulled the adult female onto his lap.

Herrera-Candaneda would not let the adult female off his lap and then began touching her inner thighs and the tops of her legs. The adult female believed she was about to be sexually assaulted by Herrara-Candaneda.

It was during this time, the adult female was able to escape from Herrera-Candaneda. She used her phone to text her roommates, who then came from a nearby location. Upon their arrival, they chased Herrara-Candaneda out of the residence.

Through the continued investigative efforts of the Deputies, Herrera-Candaneda was identified and arrested for Assault with intent to rape, False Imprisonment, Intimate Touching Without Consent.

Herrera-Candaneda was booked into the Mendocino County Jail where he was to be held in lieu of $20,000 bail.

CATCH OF THE DAY, March 1, 2022

ADRIEL BIGGIE, Fort Bragg. Disorderly conduct-alcohol, resisting, probation revocation.

ADRIAN HERRERA-CANDANEDA, Willits. Assault with intent to rape, intimate touching against will of victim, false imprisonment.

LELAND RANFT, Ukiah. Possession of over 600 obscene images of minor in sexual act, parole violation.

ABBY SARGENT, Redwood Valley. Probation revocation.

MICHAEL SHEPHARD, Eureka/Ukiah. Controlled substance/narcotics for sale-transportation, tear gas, conspiracy.

KC STILLWELL, Covelo, Disorderly conduct-alcohol.

CHAD TURLEY, Ukiah. Disorderly conduct-alcohol.

KEITH WALLACE, Eureka/Ukiah. Controlled substance/narcotics for sale-transportation, tear gas, conspiracy.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, a symbol of Ukrainian defiance and heroism, this morning warned that Russia is 'trying to erase Ukraine' as Putin's forces renewed their attacks across the country. Zelensky, unshaven and wearing a military-style khaki t-shirt, said the West's response to the crisis has so-far been inadequate and called for more support - including in his bid to join the European Union. As he spoke, troops were preparing barricades to defend the city of Zaporizhzhia - including setting up defences around the reactors of Energodar power plant. Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to Ukraine's interior ministry, called on generals to bypass the city while warning they could create a 'new Chernobyl' if the plant is damaged. Fighting was also underway in Ukraine's second city of Kharkiv after Russian paratroopers dropped in and attacked a military hospital before airstrikes targeting police, state agencies and the security service. Part of Karazin National University was on fire early Wednesday after a missile - seemingly intended for the neighbouring police headquarters or interior ministry - struck the college's department of sociology instead. Putin's forces also claimed to have captured Kherson, a major industrial centre in the south, overnight though the mayor remained defiant - posting on Facebook: 'We are still Ukraine. Still firm.' Mariupol, also in the south, came under renewed shelling as Russian forces try to surround it.

MARIUPOL, a Ukrainian port city on the Black Sea, has today come under heavy bombardment by Russian troops surrounding it - with the deputy mayor saying the barrage has kept up for 15 hours non-stop with hundreds dead, while the mayor said a 'full-scale genocide' is underway. Meanwhile Kharkiv, hundreds of miles to the north, also came under attack by missiles that destroyed government and police buildings, Ukraine's second largest, was also hit by heavy strikes in the night which seemed to be targeting an airfield. It is a dark sign of things to come for cities such as Kyiv as Vladimir Putin's troops, who were handed a series of heavy defeats carrying out precision strikes in the early days of the war, switch to brute-force tactics in an attempt to carve out a bloody victory. Chernihiv, in the north east, and Sumy, in the east, have also been surrounded and are at risk of being struck while Kherson, another city in the south, was captured by Russian troops after getting cut off.

(Daily Mail)

UKRAINE NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

Rockets struck a maternity clinic, a Holocaust memorial site, and near a TV tower in Kyiv on Tuesday, after the Russian military warned of "high-precision" strikes.

Russia appears to have taken the southern city of Kherson after days of heavy fighting and shelling.

More than half a million refugees have fled Ukraine during Russia’s invasion, according to the UN. 

How long can Ukraine withstand Russian assault?

A U.S. official tells CBS News that a tactical seizure of Ukraine is possible within the next 4-6 weeks, based on the assessments of what is currently taking place on the ground with the Russian military. 

As David Martin has reported, it is expected to take one week before Kyiv is surrounded, and another 30 days could elapse before Ukraine's capital is seized. This U.S. official says it is not clear whether Russia would gradually strangle the city or engage in street-to-street fighting. These scenarios were laid out for members of Congress Monday as the initial battle to destroy the Ukrainian military and government. It is also not clear whether Russia would then decide to go west toward Lviv or as far west as the Polish border.

The situation is dynamic, so this remains an estimate on what is militarily possible. This U.S. official also could not say when the sanctions that have been rolled out so far will have a practical impact on the Russian military. The low morale and shortages of food and fuel are not a result of the sanctions now in place. At some point, however, the Russian military will be impacted by the sanctions.

Given the durability of the Ukrainian resistance and its long history of pushing Russia back, the U.S. and Western powers do not believe that this will be a short war. The U.K. foreign secretary estimated it would be a 10-year war. Lawmakers at the Capitol were told Monday it is likely to last 10, 15 or 20 years — and that ultimately, Russia will lose.

Russian troops have been running out of food and fuel, U.S. senior defense official says

The Russian advance on Kyiv has slowed in the past few days because of logistical and sustainment problems, including running out of food for troops, according to a senior defense official.

"We are also picking up signs that they're having problems feeding their troops, that they're- not only are they running out of gas, but they are running out of food," the official said Tuesday.

The Russian advance on Ukraine's capital has made no appreciable movement since Monday, according to the official, and the main advance forces are still about 25 kilometers (15 miles) out from the city center.

Russian troops have faced stiff resistance from the Ukrainians. The Russians' slow progress could also be deliberate to give them time to reassess how to gain momentum, the official said.

"One reason why things appear to be stalled north of Kyiv is that the Russians themselves are regrouping and rethinking and trying to adjust to the challenges that they've had to date," the official said.

There are indications that morale among the Russian troops is flagging, and several units have surrendered, some without even putting up a fight. According to the official, some of the soldiers are conscripts who have never been in combat before and who might not even have been told they were going to participate in combat.

Kyiv residents build makeshift barricades and wait for Russian troops, "not with flowers, but with Molotov cocktails"

A number of makeshift barricades have been installed around Ukraine's capital city of Kyiv by groups of neighborhood volunteers in preparation for a possible siege by Russian forces. Satellite images provided by Maxar Technologies show what is said to be a 40-mile-long convoy of Russian military troops and machinery moving toward Kyiv, but still 15-20 miles from the center of the capital.

Made of wood, tires and machine parts, the hope is that the barricades will make it harder for Russian troops to move around the city. In one instance, an abandoned city bus was parked across a road to block incoming Russian vehicles.

"This little, crazy guy [Russian President Vladimir Putin] is shooting at residential districts in Kyiv, in Kharkiv… You can see how many casualties there are. We cannot let him go anymore," Zhanna, a volunteer working on one of the barricades, told CBS News.

"What you see here is an attempt by local people to organize themselves and not allow this scum to be on our land… There is no place for defeat. We have no place to run away, and we don't plan to live out of Kyiv or our country. We try to be scary, so we are waiting for them. And we wait for them not with flowers, but with Molotov cocktails," she said.

U.N. says "about 1 million" displaced from homes inside Ukraine by Russian invasion

The United Nation's refugee agency said on Tuesday an estimated one million people had been displaced inside Ukraine by the Russian invasion, in addition to hundreds of thousands who have fled abroad.

"We still don't have reliable figures regarding the number of people displaced inside Ukraine but we estimate that it has to be about one million people who have fled internally or who are currently on a train, a bus or in a car trying to get to a safety," Karolina Lindholm Billing, UNHCR representative to Ukraine, told a press conference in Stockholm.

Huge Russian convoy approaching Kyiv

A huge Russian military convoy was massing on the outskirts of Ukraine's capital Tuesday as fears grew the invading forces were set to launch devastating assaults aimed at taking control of Kyiv and other major cities.

Satellite images from Maxar Technologies showed a long build-up of armored vehicles and artillery starting 18 miles north of the city.

The Russian army has been regrouping and massing its forces over the past 24 hours "primarily to encircle and take control of Kyiv and other major cities," the general staff of Ukraine's armed forces wrote on Facebook.

The column is more than 40 miles long and covers the entire road from near Antonov airport outside Kyiv to the town of Prybirsk, U.S. satellite imaging company Maxar said.

"Some vehicles are spaced fairly far apart while in other sections, military equipment and units are traveling two or three vehicles abreast on the road," Maxar said.

The images also showed "additional ground forces deployments and ground attack helicopter units" in southern Belarus near the Ukraine border.

Eastern city Kharkiv's mayor Igor Terekhov, quoted by Ukrainian media, warned that Moscow's armored vehicles and tanks are "everywhere around the city."

Tens of thousands of Ukrainians pour into Poland seeking safety from Russia's bombardment

Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have already escaped Russia's bombardment of their country into neighboring nations, and many thousands more are still trying to get out. Many have walked for miles to get to the nearest border, where they find extremely long lines.

The United Nations refugee agency says as many as 4 million people could be displaced by the fighting.

As CBS News correspondent Chris Livesay reported, Poland, which sits on Ukraine's western border, has already allowed more than 200,000 Ukrainians to enter. Livesay said a logjam at a border checkpoint in the Ukrainian city of Krakovets clearly showed the heart-breaking reality for Ukrainians trying to flee bloodshed at home. 

He saw dozens of people lined up waiting for food — after waiting for days just to get out of Ukraine.

"We knew that it would be something like war," said one refugee, "but we didn't know that it would be actually, on our whole Ukraine, war." 

Nervous Kyiv residents venture out to stock up after weekend sheltering from Russian missiles

Kyiv residents were allowed out of their houses Monday morning for the first time since Saturday night, when the local government — bracing for an escalation of Russia's siege on the city — said anyone out on the streets would be treated as an enemy.

CBS News visited a grocery store and saw lines down the street, with people waiting hours to get inside. There were already bare shelves early in the morning, but the atmosphere was generally calm and people did not appear to be buying more than they needed.

"Maybe it's going to feel a little better if you have some food in your fridge," Alex Budin, a Ukrainian who lives in Los Angeles but was visiting home when the Russian invasion began, told CBS News. "It's all about that right now. Simple things."

It’s Day 5 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Kyiv residents were ordered to stay in their homes from 5pm on Saturday until this morning, so today many people are stocking up on food and supplies. pic.twitter.com/HYFkyRTk8s

— Haley Ott (@haleyjoelleott) February 28, 2022

Natalia, 22, was also waiting to get whatever she could in the store. She told CBS News the situation inflicted on her country by Russia's attack was "the worst thing ever, which would ever, ever, ever happen to anyone," and she hoped the world would offer as much help as possible, and "stop Russia from attacking us."

Russian advance slowed by Ukrainian resistance and logistical setbacks, U.S. defense official says

The Russian forces invading Ukraine have faced more resistance than the U.S. believes Russia anticipated, a senior defense official said Sunday morning. The Russian forces have advanced toward three cities, including Kyiv, but have not yet captured a city since invading, the official said.

"The Ukrainians are putting up a very stiff and brave and heroic resistance, but we are only in Day Four, and I would be reluctant to provide an estimate of how many more days there are and what those days are going to look like," the official told CBS News. 

The U.S. Defense Department estimated on Sunday that about two-thirds of the combat power Russia had arrayed around Ukraine's borders was committed inside Ukraine. That left about one-third that had yet to enter the country — a significant amount of power still at the ready. 

The Russian advances on both Kharkiv and Kyiv have been slowed by fuel and logistical shortages and by the stiff and "creative" resistance by the Ukrainians, according to the official. 

Most of Russia's advance forces were still about 19 miles north of central Kyiv on Sunday, Western intelligence indicated, which is about where they were on Saturday. 

(CBS News)

THE SOUTHERN FRONT

by Maxim Edwards

Monday night, the Russian army surrounded Kherson in southern Ukraine, near the mouth of the Dnieper, setting up checkpoints on roads leading into and out of the city. Today, they entered the city. Footage proliferating online shows a school destroyed by shelling, damage to residential buildings and soldiers looting local shops.

The city of 290,000 people used to be on the way to Crimea. Since Putin annexed the peninsula in 2014, however, Kherson has been the final stop before a militarised border. Ukrainian officials from Crimea relocated there. The ‘border’, they assured me a few years ago, was temporary, one day to be redrawn. Now the Russian military is redrawing it daily.

After the annexation, Crimean Tatars fled in their hundreds, heading to the border towns where there were already established Tatar communities from earlier displacements. Near Henichesk, another ‘border’ town two hundred kilometres from Kherson, I met several, sleeping near a village mosque. I’m now in Germany, collecting and verifying video footage for Bellingcat. The courtyard of the mosque appears in a clip from 24 February. The corpse of a 17-year-old boy, wrapped in a carpet, is in the back of a minivan. A man blames Satan and the Russians for his death.

In another clip, the central market in Kherson has been razed to the ground. A resident told me in a Twitter message that he thinks it’s arson, though he can’t be sure. ‘Everybody stays at home. They can write what they want’, he said.

We have footage of at least three incidents of civilian cars being shot up along the steppe roads of Ukraine’s far south. An ambulance ablaze, its driver dead, as medics resuscitate a passenger they have carried to a black earth field. A pensioner lies dead near his bicycle in Nova Kakhovka. At night, there is looting. We archive all the videos we receive, geolocate and verify. When I see streets and buildings I recognise, I can’t help remembering the people I interviewed there. Some must have left. Others are uncontactable.

Vitaly Kim, the mayor of Mykolaiv, says in daily recordings that he expects a pitched battle. At the time of writing, Ukrainian forces have managed to hold the port city north-west of Kherson. A local oligarch, Kim says, has offered $1000 for every Russian military vehicle destroyed.

If Putin’s forces take Kherson and Mykolaiv, Odesa hangs in the balance. To the east, Russian soldiers are advancing along the coast of the Sea of Azov. If Mariupol falls – a city of half a million people – Russia will have established a land bridge to Crimea through the Donbas.

In 2014 Ukraine blocked the North Crimean Canal, which carries water from the Dnieper to the peninsula. On 26 February, Russia’s military media channel, TV Zvezda, broadcast the explosion of a concrete dam on the canal.

The area of southern Ukraine now under occupation may now be one of the largest under contiguous Russian control. In any peace agreement, however euphemistic, Moscow will seek to consolidate these gains – not least because of their practical significance for ruling Crimea.

But as the front moves forward, Russia cannot hope to leave large occupation armies in the cities and towns of southern Ukraine. The entire invasion was predicated on being welcomed as liberators; the folly of a personalist regime high on its own propaganda. On 26 February, an article appeared on Russian state media celebrating the victorious ‘gathering of the Russian lands’. Published prematurely, in anticipation of a rapid conquest, it was quickly deleted. Putin was not expecting to meet the resistance he has.

Footage from Berdyansk, the final stop along the coast before Mariupol, shows a crowd of flag-waving civilians confronting Russian soldiers. The camera focuses on the driver of a military jeep, wearing a balaclava. He turns his head aside. ‘Show your face!’ a voice screams off camera. ‘Aren’t you ashamed?’

(London Review of Books)

EVERYONE LOSES IN UKRAINE CONFLICT

by Ralph Nader

When two scorpions are in a bottle, they both lose. This is the preventable danger that is growing daily, with no end game in sight between the two nuclear superpowers, led by dictator Vladimir Putin and de facto sole decider, Joe Biden.

Putin’s first argument is, Washington invented the model of aggressive, illegal invasions, and destruction of distant countries that never threatened U.S. security. Millions have died, been injured, and sickened in defenseless countries attacked by U.S. armed forces. George W. Bush and Dick Cheney killed over a million innocent Iraqis and devastated the country in so many ways that scholars called it a “sociocide.”

Putin’s second argument is that Russia is being threatened on its sensitive western border, which had been invaded twice by Germany and caused the loss of 50 million Russian lives. Soon after the Soviet Union collapsed, the West’s military alliance against Russia began moving east. Under Bill Clinton, NATO (The North Atlantic Treaty Organization) signed up Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic in 1999 leading to major arms sales by the U.S. giant munitions corporations.

More recently, Putin sees U.S. soldiers in these countries, ever closer U.S. missile launchers, U.S.-led joint naval exercises in the Baltic Sea, and intimations that Ukraine and Georgia could soon join NATO. (Imagine if the Russians were to have such a military presence around the U.S. borders.)

Even often hawkish New York Times columnists – Thomas Friedman and Bret Stephens made this point this week about the brazen U.S. history of military hypocrisy while tearing into Putin. Stephens brought up the Monroe Doctrine over the entire Western Hemisphere, in raising repeatedly the question, “Who are We?”

The chess game between Russia and the West has become more deadly with Putin’s military moves followed by immediate Western sanctions against some Russian banks and oligarchs close to Putin. Travel bans and freezing the completion of the second major natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany are in place with promises of much more severe economic retaliation by Biden.

These sanctions can become a two-way street. Western Europe needs Russian oil and gas, Russian wheat, and essential Russian minerals such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel. Sanctions against Russia will soon boomerang in terms of higher oil and gas prices for Europeans and Americans, more inflation, worsening supply chains, and the dreaded “economic uncertainty” afflicting stock markets and consumer spending.

The corporate global economy gave us interdependence on other nations, instead of domestic self-reliance under the framework of corporate-managed free trade agreements.

So how many billions of dollars in costs and a weakened economy will Joe Biden tolerate as the price of anti-Putin sanctions that will blowback on the American people? How much suffering will he tolerate being inflicted on the long-suffering Russian people? What will be the impact on the civilian population of more severe sanctions? And who is he to talk as if he doesn’t have to be authorized by Congress to go further into this state of belligerence, short of sending soldiers, which he said he would not do?

Is Congress to be left as a cheerleader, washing its hands of its constitutional oversight and foreign policy duties? Also, watch Republicans and Democrats in Congress unify to whoop through more money for the bloated military budget, as pointed out by military analyst, Michael Klare. What energy will be left for Biden’s pending “Build Back Better” infrastructure, social safety net, and climate crisis legislation?

In recent weeks, the State Department said it recognizes Russia’s legitimate security concerns but not its expansionism. Well, what is wrong with a ceasefire followed by support for a treaty “guaranteeing neutrality for Ukraine, similar to the enforced neutrality for Austria since the Cold War’s early years,” as Nation publisher and Russia specialist Katrina vanden Heuvel urged. (See: Katrina vanden Heuvel’s Washington Post article and her recent Nation piece).

Putin, unable to get over the breakup of the Soviet Union, probably has imperial ambitions to dominate in Russia’s backyard. Biden has inherited and accepted the U.S. Empire’s ambitions in many other nation’s backyards. Events have polarized this conflict over Ukraine, which is not a security interest for the U.S., into two dominant egos – Putin and Biden – neither of whom want to appear weak or to back down.

This is a dangerous recipe for an out-of-control escalation, much as it was in the lead-up to World War I. Neither the people nor the parliaments mattered then, as seems to be the case today.

Putin isn’t likely to make a cost-benefit assessment of each day’s militarism. But Biden better do so. Otherwise, he will be managed by Putin’s daily moves, instead of insisting on serious negotiations. The Minsk II Peace Accords of February 2015 brokered by Germany, France, and the United Nations that Russia and Ukraine agreed to before falling apart due to disagreements over who should take the first steps, still makes for a useful framework.

It is too late to revisit the accords to stop the invasion. But it should be proposed to introduce a climate for waging peace. Already, New York Governor Kathy Hochul has spoken about an increase in cyberattacks and ransomware demands in her state in recent weeks. Has Biden put that rising certainty in his self-described decades-long foreign policy expertise? Watch out for what you can’t stop, Joe.

AMERICANS LIKED BIDEN’S SPEECH

Most Americans who watched President Biden's first State of the Union address approved of what they heard, and many said it made them feel optimistic and proud.

After nearly two years of the coronavirus pandemic, more than half who tuned in Tuesday night said the speech made them feel like the coronavirus is mostly behind us.

Older Americans who watched the speech were a bit more likely to say the speech made them feel the coronavirus will be with us for a while. CBS News interviewed speech viewers immediately after the president's speech.

Overall, about 8 in 10 of speech watchers approved of Mr. Biden's address tonight, including majorities of both Democrats and independents. Among members of his own party, his speech received high marks among both liberals and moderates.

As we've seen with previous presidents' State of the Union speeches, those who watched tonight are more likely to be from the president's own political party, boosting approval of the speech. 

In the latest CBS national poll released earlier this week, 34% of Americans identified themselves as Democrats. Among those who watched tonight's speech, that percentage was 49%.

Former President Trump received a high approval rating for his first State of the Union address in 2018, among a viewing audience who leaned more Republican than the nation as a whole.

The president's policies were received positively by speech watchers. Inflation has been a top concern for people, and Mr. Biden talked about his plans for tackling it. After the speech, more viewers said his policies would help lower inflation than they did before the speech. His policies on the coronavirus and dealing with Russia got a bump too. 

At times, Mr. Biden struck an empathetic tone. More viewers who tuned in feel they will be helped by the economic proposals he presented tonight, than hurt. 

Viewers wanted to hear Mr. Biden talk about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and he did. Most Americans who watched the speech on Tuesday night came away feeling the president's policies will deal with Russia effectively. 

Most who watched say the president struck the right approach to Russia in the speech. Although 3 in 10 didn't think he was tough enough. 

(CBS News)

CHARLIE HEBDO ARTICLE ON THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE DISASTER

United as rarely, the United States and the European Union have taken severe economic restriction measures against Russia. Beyond the effectiveness of these measures, the question is whether the Ukrainian crisis will finally mark the beginning of the end of deregulated finance, the main support of all the mafias and dictatorships of the globe.

charliehebdo-fr.translate.goog/2022/02/international/etats-unis-union-europeenne-frappent-poutine-plein-portefeuille/

I UNDERSTAND THE ARGUMENT that if we let tyrants do whatever they want just because they have nukes they’ll just do whatever they want. I understand the argument that if we don’t stop Putin now he’s going to take over all of Europe because he’s literally Hitler and blah blah blah. I understand why people ask “Well if we don’t stand up to him now, then when? Where is your line??” I really do.

But the U.S. has been making risk-to-benefit calculations based on the fact that Russia has nuclear weapons every single day since Stalin got the bomb. There are things Russia has been permitted to do that weaker nations would have been forcefully stopped from doing, like annexing Crimea and intervening in Syria, exactly because they have nukes. If those weren’t the line, why specifically does Ukraine have to be? Surely there’s a line somewhere, but it would have to exist at a point where it would be worth risking the life of every living creature for.

So is it? Is keeping the possibility of NATO membership open and retaining control of the Donbas really so important that we should roll the dice on the existence of the entire human species on it? Is maintaining a hostile client state on Russia’s border truly worth gambling the life of every terrestrial organism for? Are the desperate unipolarist grand chessboard maneuverings of a few powerful people in Washington, Langley and Arlington really worth risking the life of everyone you know and love?

If the answer is no, then building some opposition to what we’re seeing here becomes a very urgent matter. Very urgent indeed.

— Caitlin Johnstone

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

Putin likely will go nuclear when he realizes he’s destroyed both Russia and himself. His attitude might be “F.U. If I’m going down you’re all going down with me”. The sanctions are cornering him. That’s my concern. Maybe someone in his inner circle will shoot him in the nick of time if it becomes obvious that he’s losing it.

AFTER BURNING FOR DAYS, A SHIP CARRYING THOUSANDS OF LUXURY CARS SINKS

The ship, the Felicity Ace, was carrying about 4,000 vehicles, including Bentleys and Porsches, when it caught fire on Feb. 16. On Tuesday morning, it sank.

nytimes.com/2022/03/01/world/europe/ship-sinks-luxury-cars.html

JUST IN FROM CRAIG

Pacemaker Installed...Applied for Shelter Bed...Love to All

Warmest spiritual greetings, Please know that I have received a heart pacemaker, due to an advanced level 2 blockage. Was discharged from Adventist Hospital in Ukiah last night. Today am interviewing with Building Bridges to get a shelter bed. Am looking forward to working with Redwood Community Services ongoing, in order to address my homelessness. Thanking everybody for your friendship. 

Craig Louis Stehr

Email: craiglouisstehr@gmail.com

PayPal.me/craiglouisstehr

PROGRESSIVES STRUGGLE FOR INFLUENCE AMONG CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATS

by Alexei Koseff

The message was clear and, more importantly, it was loud: Progressive activists would work to block the California Democratic Party’s endorsement for any lawmaker who did not support a single-payer health care bill facing a crucial legislative deadline at the end of January.

Their threat did not persuade wavering legislators to get on board, however, and the bill was shelved without a vote. Two weeks later, the chairperson of the party’s progressive caucus announced that activists had dropped their campaign to pull endorsements from uncooperative incumbents, blaming Democratic officials for obstructing them.

“The party uses every advantage it has under the bylaws to ensure there is no democracy in the Democratic Party,” Amar Shergill, the progressive caucus chairperson, told CalMatters.

Inspired by the unabashedly leftist presidential campaign of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont in 2016, a wave of political outsiders once seemed poised to remake the California Democratic Party. But the momentum of their movement, which coincided with heightened liberal energy in resistance to then-President Donald Trump, appears to have crested.

Sanders supporters organized early on to elect new delegates to the state party, giving the progessive wing more influence to push for policy positions and endorsements for candidates who could challenge establishment stalwarts including U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein from the left.

Yet in the five years since, they’ve struggled to achieve their biggest and most consequential goals, including twice failing to elevate one of their own to lead the California Democratic Party. Earlier this month, party officials adopted new restrictions on campaign contributions that fell short of progressive demands to stop taking money entirely from fossil fuel companies, law enforcement unions and health insurers.

As delegates gather virtually this coming weekend for the annual state party convention, nearly all of the sitting legislators who are running again will be endorsed on a consent calendar, while Shergill is encouraging progressives to withhold their donations and volunteer time from the party and focus their organizing energy on outside groups. He has also invited the director of the newly established Working Families Party to address the caucus on Saturday night.

The dissension reflects how the eternal ideological tension within California’s dominant political party has intensified and curdled in recent years. As newly empowered activists, many of them fresh to organized politics, escalated their tactics to demand change, so did party leaders pushing back to maintain a status quo that has largely worked to elect Democrats in the state for decades.

Though the influence of the progressive wing has not entirely waned — several political consultants declined to discuss the dynamic on the record with CalMatters for fear of angering delegates they need to woo to endorse campaigns they are working on — a lack of victories to back up their more aggressive political style has sent a signal to some Democrats to simply ignore them.

Tenoch Flores, a former communications director for the party from 2009 to 2015 who now works as a consultant for progressive causes, said there is more acrimony and hurt feelings over these fights than in the past. He attributed it to the frustration of a movement that has brought increased attention to its causes but has not grown in scope or influence to match, a dynamic that he said it would be important for Democratic officials to manage.

“One of the beliefs is that if you have impassioned speeches and you scream truth to power, you can have policy change overnight,” Flores said. “They’re not able to make good on any of their threats.”

Despite numerous interview requests, the California Democratic Party did not make Chairperson Rusty Hicks available for this story.

Internal division over party’s direction

This is not the first time the California Democratic Party has been through these battles, which are also playing out in the national party and inother states. In neighboring Nevada, top Democratic politicians and their allies established a rival campaign apparatus after the state party elected a left-wing chairperson.

Karen Bernal, a former chairperson of the California party’s progressive caucus for three terms from 2009 to 2013 and 2017 to 2019, said there’s a fundamental conflict over the function of the party between rank-and-file members, who join for ideological affinity, and politicians, for whom it is a conduit for money and other campaign resources.

“It’s always been a struggle between the grassroots and the legislative leadership,” she said.

The party experienced a similar wave of insurgent progressive activism after Howard Dean’s unsuccessful presidential campaign in 2004, Bernal said, then the energy dwindled during the Obama years when identity politics neutralized the philosophical divide.

But the backlash from party officials is more “iron-fisted” this time around, she said. She pointed to elaborate campaigns to elected favored slates of delegates after progressives unexpectedly swept races in 2017 and rule changes when activists have found ways to challenge the power structure.

After progressives called a meeting of the party’s executive board to pursue the ban on donations from groups they consider in conflict with the California Democratic Party platform, the rules committee proposed an amendment to the bylaws that raises the threshold for requesting a special meeting, including by doubling the number of signatures required. It was adopted in late February, during the same weekend when officials approved a scaled-back proposal that gives the party more flexibility on when to reject contributions.

Activists allege that their effort to challenge lawmakers who did not support the single-payer legislation faltered because the party misinterpreted its own bylaws that establish a process for disputing endorsements and shut them down.

Combined, Bernal said, all of these measures demonstrate an establishment desperate to hold on to the status quo — and how far it will go to silence dissent from progressives.

“Their influence is being smashed from the top,” she said. “They’ve been corralled and contained. But does it mean that their fight is not resonant? No, it does not.”

Where do progressives go next?

While this fight is unlikely to resonate outside of a narrow sliver of voters invested in party politics, several strategists said it presented an unnecessary distraction for Democrats in an election year where polls suggest they are facing growing political headwinds and could ultimately undermine progressives’ position in California.

Andrew Acosta, a political consultant who frequently works with moderate Democrats in swing districts, said the single-payer activists had overplayed their hand with the threat to pull endorsements. With voter malaise over pocketbook issues such as inflation front and center, he said it was the wrong year to take on a legislative fight that would require massive tax increases. (Supporters of a single-payer health care system argue that Californians would ultimately pay less than they do now for insurance premiums.)

While politicians do respond to party dynamics, Acosta said, they must be cognizant first of their constituents. As Democrats try to defend legislative supermajorities that allow them to raise taxes and qualify ballot measures without Republican votes, they did not want to provide their opponents with an easy campaign attack that they are out of touch with pressing economic concerns.

“People are feeling it, man,” Acosta said, “It’s just hard to tell people they’re not.”

The outsized response by single-payer advocates to the bill’s failure last month — including warnings that they might back a challenger to Assemblymember Ash Kalra, the San Jose Democrat who carried the measure, because he did not bring it up for a vote — also turned off many in Sacramento.

Flores, the former party spokesman, called it a moment of “self-marginalization” for the progressive movement and a message for the dozens of new legislators who will arrive at the Capitol by next year after an unusually high number of resignations and retirements.

“Is that really what they’re going to want to deal with?” he said. “A lot of what’s displayed is not how you build a winning legislative coalition.”

Shergill, the progressive caucus chairperson who frequently criticizes Hicks on social media, rejected the notion that its tactics had weakened the position of the party’s left wing. He said he would continue to advocate for progressives to build their own organizations that could operate freely outside of the California Democratic Party.

“When we’re successful, great. When we’re not, it reinforces this message that the party cannot be trusted with your time and effort,” he said. “For progressives, there’s never a scenario where we lose, because either we win the issue or we’re teaching our members lessons about how to win the next fight.”

(CalMatters.org)

MARCH IS SOCIAL WORK APPRECIATION MONTH 

Ukiah, CA - March is recognized nationally as a month to give appreciation for those serving as Social Workers. In Mendocino County, Social Workers are engaged within a range of supportive services including Family & Children’s, Adult & Aging, and Employment & Family Assistance Services. 

“Social Workers play an important role in helping the most vulnerable members of our community, from newborns to the elderly, live safely in their homes and in their communities. Social Workers work in partnership with individuals, their families and others who are important to them to help stabilize crisis situations, assess their needs and connect them to services and supports to promote their long term stability and well-being,“ shares Jena Conner, Deputy Director Family & Children’s Services. 

In the calendar year 2021, Mendocino County Family & Children’s Services Social Workers reunified 73 children with parents who successfully addressed child safety issues, assessed and approved 45 resource parents to provide care for children in the foster care system, provided services and supports to a monthly average of 321 children, young adults, and their families involved in child welfare services or the juvenile dependency system, and investigated a total of 954 reports of child abuse and neglect. The CalWORKs Job Services Social Worker, through the Family Stabilization and Cal-Learn programs, assisted 27 families consisting of 49 children in addressing issues preventing them from pursuing their employment goals. In Adult and Aging Services, Social Workers investigated 775 referred cases of neglect/abuse, served as conservator for 15 older adults needing protective intervention, addressed housing needs for 20 disabled/older adults, and secured permanent housing for 14 homeless community members. 

The Social Work profession has existed for more than a century and the need for Social Workers is great, especially as our nation continues to face entrenched issues that have stressed our society, including the Covid-19 pandemic, systemic racism, economic inequality, and other crises. 

“The need for Social Workers is great. Filling vacancies will help reduce caseloads so 

Social Workers can spend more quality time working with their clients and helping them achieve their goals. Staff employed in Family & Children’s Services are eligible to apply for educational financial assistance with Schools of Social Work to pursue Bachelor and/or Master’s Degrees in Social Work with a commitment to work in the field of child welfare post-graduation,” explains Conner. 

Social Workers, who are often unsung heroes, are on the front lines, helping people overcome their most difficult times. They are trained to help people address personal and systemic barriers to optimal living. The goal is to effect positive change with individuals, families, groups and communities to overcome issues that prevent them from reaching their full potential. 

This National Month of Social Work Appreciation allows us to recognize all the Social Workers that serve our County and their important contributions. Everyone is encouraged to thank a Social Worker for their service not only this month, but throughout the year. 

“I have a deep appreciation for the dedication and empathy our Social Workers provide to our most vulnerable members every day,” shares Stephen White, Acting Deputy Director Adult & Aging Services. 

If you would like information on a career in social work with Mendocino County, please visit our website at https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/mendocinoca. 

REAL HELP, NOT THIS

Editor: 

Not a week goes by without a news story reporting the assault, rape or murder of a victim by a suspect described as homeless. That comes as no surprise to me, a former police chief, and others who understand the underlying cause of chronically homelessness, which is mental illness, drug addiction or both. Efforts to provide housing for such individuals is a laudatory goal, but it is ultimately a Band-Aid approach not a solution.

Even if we could build enough housing, all we are doing is warehousing this problem, and it does not change the underlying anti-social or criminal behavior.

One questionable solution is to keep the homeless addicted, presently being initiated in drug-ridden cities like San Francisco, which seems a clear statement of defeat in addressing mental illness and drug addiction.

The best method in the long run is for the state to focus on providing the medical and rehabilitative services these individuals need rather than continuing to accommodate their addiction and mental illness by supporting their habit, hiding them away or permitting them to live in tents on our streets or in our neighborhoods, making our communities less safe for everyone, including homeless people.

Sal Rosano

Santa Rosa

FIRST FRIDAY ARTWALK UKIAH

Join artists and their hosts for an evening of art, music and refreshments as you stroll from one venue to the next; each showcasing local art and artistry. Held in Historic Downtown Ukiah on the first Friday of each month, the First Friday Art Walk is the perfect way to relax your body, mind and soul. This enjoyable evening begins at 5:00 p.m. and promises to delight your senses; all while enjoying the company of others. All County Health Orders will be followed. For more information contact (707) 391-3664.

Bona Marketplace 116 W Standley St 

What better way to celebrate nature than through the eyes of an artist? Three local artists, Deborah Briggs, Cindy Lindgren and Diana Steele will be presenting their work at Bona Marketplace, Ukiah, beginning the "First Friday" in March.

Deborah Briggs (Photography): "In the last forty or so years, I can't remember when I wasn't dreaming about taking pictures, missing being in a darkroom, and creating the images that made me so happy. After being told by a junior college instructor that it would be a tragedy if I didn't do something with photography (although many years later), I began pursuing my passion and continue to do so today."

Cindy Lindgren (Watercolor): "I have always loved to draw, paint and create things with my hands. Art classes in school were a natural draw for me. Sometime later, I began working with clay and for several years I was a potter. Watercolor was intimidating, so I enrolled in a college class to face my fear. I found an exciting new mode of discovery and expression." 

Diana Steele (Watercolor): "After over 40 years as an engineer and construction manager, I have committed myself to the joy and relaxation of painting. Watercolor has always attracted me because of the excitement and luminosity that results when you put paper, pigment and water together."

Grace Hudson Museum 431 S Main St 

Jazz pianist Barney McClure will be in the house for our March First Friday. He’s performed and recorded with a wide array of musicians, including jazz legends Big Joe Turner, Sonny Stitt, Barney Kessel, Joe Pass, and Milt Jackson. Let Barney’s sublime music be your soundtrack as you chat with friends and look through our latest exhibition, 

The Art of Collecting: New Additions to the Grace Hudson Museum.

This show includes an assortment of paintings, photographs, Pomo material culture, and other historic items that have been acquired by the Museum over the past five or more years through donation or purchase, including a recent gift of 16 Grace Hudson paintings from the Palm Springs Art Museum. Also enjoy our other exhibit galleries and the Wild Gardens. Light refreshments will be served.

Corner Gallery 201 S State St

First Friday Art Walk will feature artist Maeve Croghan "Luminous Nature Paintings" Maeve paints from a deep spiritual connection to the environment. Her love of the land is understood in her color filled paintings. Her oil paintings are begun outside. She intensely observes the environment, becoming immersed in it as she paints. The paintings are finished in the studio from her memory and personal exploration and interpretation, without photo references March 4th thru March 26, 2022 Also featured this month on the Young Artist Wall Afton Edwards, a local young woman working in mixed media and drawings. 

The First Friday opening of Maeve Croghan art show is on March 4 from 5-8pm, at the Corner Gallery, located at 201 S State St in Ukiah. Live music will be provided by Elisabeth MacDougall. All county protocols regarding COVID will be observed, including required masking and social distancing.

Art Center Ukiah 201 S State St 

"Her Story" March is Women's History month Art Center Ukiah is honoring women to celebrate acts the of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries or communities or a call for change. Featuring a variety of mediums. Created by local artists. March 4th thru March 26, 2022 "Pursued" painting by Virginia Macintosh, "Persephone", mixed media Jacquie Lolich, "Virginia Woolf Close", mixed media Kate Gould, "Light" Laura Fogg Fabric Art. All county protocols regarding COVID will be observed, including required masking and social distancing.

Ukiah Valley Networking Agency 104 N School St

Tim Poma is no stranger to the Ukiah Art Walk scene. Tim will be showcasing brand new art as well as some of your favorites and prints for sale. Tim S. Poma is best known for his bright and colorful thrown and dripped paintings of landscapes, poppies, Volkswagens and abstract objects painted with latex house paint. Self-taught, Poma began painting as means of releasing emotions, specifically disappointment and frustration. Through his exploratory out bust of passion and a desire to create, Poma began throwing paint feverishly to alleviate his sadness, and in the process he found a joy he did not know existed. Poma has been painting ever since 2012 in the small Northern California town called Ukiah. Poma’s methods of creation include: dripping, smearing, throwing and finger-painting on canvas to get his desired look. He oftentimes uses tools such as a palette knife or a paint stir-stick to help with the creation of a given painting, and rarely uses paintbrushes but is not opposed. Although Poma was never formally trained as an artist, he has had several influential art teachers in his life who helped inspire his path as an artist. From his Color and Composition teacher at Mendocino College, Paula Grey, to his Ceramics teacher Doug Browe, each left a lasting impression on him that still inspires him today.

Medium Art Gallery 522 E Perkins St

Join artist Phyllee B for Collage For Healing, a demonstration. Phyllee will share her process. Her journey through book art and repurposing objects has helped her to realize that creativity is the door to our most authentic selves. Come sit with her and talk and let her share with you ways you can do it too.

ANDERSON VALLEY VILLAGE VOLUNTEER TRAINING 

<https://andersonvalley.helpfulvillage.com/events/2200>

Sunday, March 13th 1:30 to 2:30 PM Anderson Valley Senior Center

Join us for a short volunteer training and learn more about the Anderson Valley Village and how you can give back to the elders of our community. The work of volunteers is vital to our mission of supporting seniors as they age in place, providing all manner of help, from basic chores, transportation, tech support and errands to check-in calls and visits to skilled services. It’s up to you how, and how often, to volunteer. Because we are working with a vulnerable population, we require our volunteers to have the COVID vaccine, thank you (please bring your card). And if you would like to be a volunteer driver, please bring your Driver’s License and proof of insurance card. Volunteer applications are available at the training, Senior Center, Health Center and/or our website https://www.andersonvalleyvillage.org/.

Please RSVP with the coordinator - Hope to see you there, thank you!

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AV Village Monthly in-person Gathering: Responding to Climate Change

<https://andersonvalley.helpfulvillage.com/events/2192-av-village-monthly-in-person-gathering:-responses-to-climate-change>

Sunday, March 13th, 3 to 4:30 PM Anderson Valley Senior Center, Refreshments served outside *For many people, those four words trigger a variety of negative emotions: sadness, despair, guilt, anger, fear, hopelessness, apathy, uncertainty, insecurity, confusion. Why would anyone want to spend time exploring or discussing such a topic? Discussing our aches and pains actually sounds more pleasant. However, there are numerous things we can do to respond to climate change and our fears about the future. First and foremost, we need to break the silence. Our fears are invariably diminished when shared. So too, is climate change. Second, we need to take meaningful actions. These range from personal commitments to political engagement. Both require becoming well informed about the causes, likely consequences, and mitigation of climate change. If you are interested in such work, we hope you will join us.

You may want to watch this beforehand: Bill McKibben on Engaging Elders in Climate Action (Ashby Village): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJiB8zjvKsI

Please RSVP with the coordinator. Thank you!

Anica Williams Cell: 707-684-9829 Email: andersonvalleyvillage@gmail.com