- Free Summer Concerts
- Search & Rescue
- PG&E's Line-Clearing Rampage
- Revisiting The Retrospective
- Gun Safety
- Good Luck, Winos!
- What AR's Do
- Headlands Tickets?
- Contradictions
- Kids These Days
FREE SUMMER CONCERTS
Dear Terry Sites,
Thank you for your excellent reporting and your update on upcoming summer music events in our area. I would like to let your readers know that the Symphony of the Redwoods will present four concerts over three days this summer! First, up is the full Symphony. We are is back! led by guest conductor Phillip Lenberg in works by Schubert, Dvorak, and a newly composed piece; Carmel by the Sea by Nancy Bloomer Deussen. Abigail Rowland Strock, soprano, will perform a gorgeous Mozart aria with the orchestra as well. These celebration concerts will take place at Cotton Auditorium, Fort Bragg at 7:30 PM on June 25th and at 2 PM on June 26th. There will be a free 30-min pre-concert lecture by Dr. Lenberg one hour before each concert.
Back by popular demand is our free (with garden admission) outdoor concerts at Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens. This year we will feature two distinctly different concerts on one day, July 31st. First up is Mozart's Clarinet Quintet and more with Clarinet virtuoso Roy Zajac at 12 noon on the Events Lawn. Christianna Valentina will perform at 3 PM with her ensemble Golden Era tango music for both listening and dancing. For more information please visit symphonyoftheredwoods.org. A beautiful way to spend a day in the Gardens with friends and music. Refreshments will be available.
Eva von Bahr,
President, Symphony of the Redwoods board of directors
Fort Bragg
SEARCH & RESCUE
Editor,
I wanted to take a moment to reach out to the residents of Mendocino County as we prepare for good times and bad times. For the season in which we have gatherings, fairs and festivals as well as fire season.
Many people within our communities have seen the orange shirts of our Search and Rescue (SAR) team. I am often asked about our team and have to quantify their role, which at times is almost impossible to put into words.
The California Government code directs each county to establish a method or team for search and rescue. Mendocino County, like every other county in the state, has assigned this as the responsibility of the Sheriff. In Mendocino County, we have a volunteer team that dates back over 50 years as a formal Search and Rescue team (SAR); which was preceded by the Sheriff’s Mounted Posse.
The SAR team is an organization that assists the Sheriff’s Office with a primary function of rural and urban search and rescue of missing persons in and within the vicinity of the physical boundaries of Mendocino County. Our unit is comprised solely of volunteers, and they are supported by a select few deputy sheriff’s. The SAR unit has its own Board of Directors and bylaws as they are a 501(C)(3) – nonprofit organization as well.
The volunteers are trained in rural search tactics, woodcraft, rappelling, rope rescue, first aid, canine teams, man tracking, operating specialized equipment, as well as under-water diving and many other skills. The volunteers put their own time and money into their training with their own purchased equipment and or dogs. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office would not have sufficient resources to handle searches without the dedication and efforts of these volunteers.
The County of Mendocino, due to its rural nature, has had numerous searches that last multiple days and the SAR volunteers come out rain or shine to diligently work on locating missing persons. In addition to these duties, SAR helps out with special functions including parades, public interaction events, carnivals, and during our devastating fires and the aftermath of fires. SAR has been invaluable to the County of Mendocino in this regard.
The hours put in by SAR can at times number in the tens of thousands of hours per calendar year. Mendocino County SAR has handled on average 25 callouts a year which can fluctuate. With the recent wildfires and natural disasters, our SAR callouts have more than doubled to over 50 during the past 2 years.
Our SAR volunteers have also been requested and responded to emergencies throughout the state to assist other county Search and Rescue missions. Our volunteers are very well trained and dedicated professionals who are experts in their field, so they always respond to help other counties when available. These folks never ask for a lighter load however simply pray for stronger shoulders to carry what will come next.
Throughout our nation we can see folks concerned about what we don’t have, while forgetting to be thankful for what we do have. When you see our team members in the bright orange uniforms, please take the time to thank them for their service to our communities. They have been, and will be, truly here for all of us.
Thank you,
Sheriff Matt Kendall
Ukiah
PG&E'S LINE-CLEARING RAMPAGE
Editor,
I feel there is more to know about the rampant tree cutting on the Northcoast by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and its contractors. They have been buzzing through like a hive of hornets.
Few people know that a tree marked with a yellow “x” means that it is designated for a total removal. Few know they have a legal right (under the Public Resources Code, Section 4295.5) to not only receive notice about a removal, but PG&E must provide “an opportunity to be heard.” When I exercised that right, I felt pressured and bullied.
Most of my trees lean away from wires, more than 50 feet away. I am custodian of the longest stretch of privately owned creek in Woodacre. There was a good coho salmon comeback this season and endangered fingerlings are thriving in a pool shaded and cooled by my streamside trees. Fifteen of those trees are now marked with an “x,” without regard for riparian zones. I believe removing these trees will likely cause stream bank failure and massive erosion.
Rather than cutting too many trees, PG&E officials could instead replace outdated equipment, modernize circuit breakers, use triple insulated “tree” wiring or move power lines. In my experience, PG&E tries to manipulate our mindset, instilling fear, using buzzwords like “fire,” without any respect for ecological nuances in these unique situations.
Sandy White
Woodacre
REVISITING THE RETROSPECTIVE
Editor,
Annie Esposito, the spouse of Bruce Haldane, is still carrying water for the Cherney-Bari bombing eco-fiction. (AVA, KZYX Retrospective, June 8, 2022)
In this short piece Mrs. Esposito slyly gets in the fact that KZYX had Judith Beatrice Bariscano as a station programmer, that there was a Pacific Islander who had sympathy for the area’s remaining indigenous people (an obligatory requirement when requesting cash from local Lib-Labs, and the usual present-day formulation for major Bay Area radio stations like KQED-FM when conducting annual “weekly” pledge drives.
But our Annie somehow fails to mention that certain persons in the listening area and with information about Judi Bari were never given a voice on any KZYX open programs and certain of these people were actually banned from the premises as well as the airwaves. So much for Fair and Balanced reporting.
Esposito, who probably enjoys a large federal pension since Mr. Haldane was a retired Marine Corps officer of a field grade rank, mostly has the ability to not be inconvenienced by tourist trap fuel prices approaching $7.00 for 87 octane regular.
Miss Bales is really no mystery. She inherited her current position at KZYX because of her devotion as a self activated orphan from Sacramento who was foster-parented by Judi Bari as Bari built up her own Bureau of Puppets & Propagandists.
Irv Sutley
Glen Ellen
GUN SAFETY
Editor,
Gun safety: bringing into effect common sense reform of gun laws has become the top national political issue. Since the mass sootings this weekend killed at least 12 Americans, wounding about 40 others, how in God’s holy name can state or national politicians dismiss the issue by merely saying their “hearts and minds” are with victims’ friends and families?!
The Uvalde, Texas mass school shooting deaths of 19 third graders along with two of their teachers clearly demonstrated the necessity of changing the age to legally buy some weapons from 18 to 21. While so-called “Red Flag” laws also would help, these alone wouldn’t be near enough of a change.
The 2nd Amendment made no mention of AK-15s. Minor changes such as the above will not affect any responsible gunowner’s rights.
If either change saves just one life, then of course it is worth it.
Frank Baumgardner
Santa Rosa
GOOD LUCK, WINOS!
Editor,
Since no one else will say it, The “Winos” (vineyard owners and their cronies) are completely off the reservation! Pointing fingers and ass grabbing anything that moves. Complete disregard for virtually everyone and everything. One of the greatest rackets known to man.
Water is definitely part of the money! Build another pond (under a certain size is minimal government interference), build another pond so these pesky enviro conscious hippie fucks can’t see it from the road. The badassest well pumps west of the Mississippi. Don't like my fans? Go buy earmuffs at the chainsaw shop cause I ain’t shuttin this shit down, you know how much one of these fuckers costs? Well, do you? It's more that I pay my average migrant worker. 10 times more.
Clear cuts, dams, ponds, chemicals, underpaid workers, exclusion from all laws and regulations that mere mortals must abide by. “Oh Margaret, send the county 5 cases of our 2016!” Fuck a riparian setback, just do what I say! I need a bigger wine cellar damnit, make her work faster, plant more grapes, more grapes I say! Green eggs, green eggs and fucking ham, green eggs and ham with my wine spritzer Sunday morning after church Sam I Am. I’ve got a big plan Sam I Am! My big big beautiful house with radiant heat and solar powered jacuzzi. Eight car garage and tennis court to boot! A half-mile long driveway with new electric gate (private security for events). “Honey, I'm going to Miami on Monday. Got time to go? No dear, we have the pool guy coming on Monday. Maybe I can go on your next trip now come kiss me you big Wino!
How many people live in the motion picture you are starring in with your Teslas, private jets, and Ivy League schools?! Not very many! 5200 square feet is a rather large residence for a midget and his gold diggin’ trophy wife (or boy toy). Housekeeper, gardener, cook, personal trainer — they all want a piece of you while you cling desperately to your narcissistic insignificant little grape farmer fantasy. Spend your time and energies protecting your possessions from the have-nots. Poor, poor yuppie scum with all your two-faced acquaintances and one fellow hater. It is lonely at the top. Only the other pond scum are there with you, and maybe they have their eyes on your prize?
Spend your money and fuck your workers and you are a winner. Everyday people die because of wine in Norcal. (We are famous for our booze) and you made a dime on it.
People around you are not blind and stupid, just rendered insignificant by your control/fraud racket. When the shit hits nobody is coming to my house to rob and make things equal. They, I'm glad to say, are headed to yours. Good luck wino!
Oaky Joe Munson
Monte Rio
PS. One good use for vineyards: FIRE BREAKS.
PPS. If you share a house that is 5000 square feet with one other human then you are both overindulgent ridiculous gluttonous pigs! Oink Oink.
WHAT AR'S DO
Editor:
As a trauma surgeon for 30 years, seven in the military, I have operated on dozens of gunshot victims. Most survived — because they made it to the hospital. Victims of AR-15 shootings don’t make it to the hospital. The AR-15 is so deadly because the ammunition is high velocity. Not because it is semi-automatic; the majority of guns are semi-automatic, which refers to a mechanism moving the next bullet into the chamber.
Mass shootings are enabled by ammunition magazines holding huge numbers of bullets.
Banning guns is impossible. Banning semi-automatics is the same. The law simply should ban high-velocity military weapons, such as AR-15s and others in that class. Also, ammunition magazines holding more than 10 bullets and certain types of ammo should be banned.
The other thing I know about death by gun is that mental health is the cause in the vast majority of cases. Does anyone have any suggestions in that regard?
Dr. Roger Delgado
Santa Rosa
HEADLANDS TICKETS?
Editor,
I wanted to alert people to the fact that the state parks are ticketing on the headlands. On our way back from visiting friends in Fort Bragg last night we parked to admire the beautiful rings around the moon around 9.39 pm. Whilst we were strolling along a state park officer drove by and then drove back and when we got back to our car there was a citation for $96. After 35 years of enjoying the headlands in the evening I was crushed. We try not to park outside the homes of residents so as not to disturb them. There seems to be overzealousness about this enforcement so try not to park on the headlands if you go down there after dark. Has anyone else experienced this? I plan to go to the headquarters this morning and discuss it. Previous experience with bureaucracy leaves me very little hope. If anyone else has had this happen to them please feel free to contact me directly.
Deborah Trillia <deborahtrillia@hotmail.com>
Mendocino
CONTRADICTIONS
Editor:
Due to our ongoing water shortage, Sonoma County citizens are constantly being asked to conserve water. With water conservation being a major issue, why do I see new multistory apartment complexes being built all over the county that will certainly increase water usage? Why are new building permits being approved that will increase demand for water?
What are city council members and county supervisors smoking who approved these permits? Is their only concern to generate more tax revenue and line their pockets? Isn’t traffic congestion bad enough already? It’s hypocrisy at its finest being flaunted right in our noses.
Each month when my water bill comes, I think about these new apartment buildings and visualize the greedy folks who approved them laughing smugly at the rest of us. When does all the new construction stop?
Rick White
Santa Rosa
KIDS THESE DAYS
Editor:
Recently, while I waited in line, I overheard a man talking about the deplorable conditions at the high school his son attends. “To start,” he said, “there are fights every day.” He mentioned his son’s comments about students “making out” behind the buildings while others watch and laugh. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
A few days later, I saw my friend who works in a middle school in Santa Rosa. “Is it true that things are bad these days in our schools?” I asked.
“I’m thinking about retiring,” my friend said. “It’s a very stressful situation, and I feel sorry for parents who have lost control of their youngsters. Problematic students have no respect for anyone.” After a silent moment, she confided, “I try not to show my fear when students enter the office.”
We blame the pandemic for our problems, and although some parents work long hours, they can dedicate a few minutes to listening to their kids’ stories, fears and what happens in school and give them encouragement.
Our social ills would be cured if adults, starting with parents and leaders at all levels, exercised good manners, showed respect for everyone and gave education due importance. Our schools would be the havens needed for our children.
Yolanda Vera Martinez
Santa Rosa
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