Letters (November 10, 2022)

• Thank You, Winegrowers
• Wussy Valley
• Questions For Wes
• Who Did It?
• Keeping The Peace On The Coast
• Seven Seconds Of Terror
• National Narratives Do Not Help
• To That Deputy...
• The Great Redwood Boondoggle
• Ideas, Lots Of Ideas
• Attention, Hill Muffs
• Do We Really Need Cows?
• Free Speech Or Hate Speech
• Patterson’s Claims
• The Giusti Report

THANK YOU, WINEGROWERS

Editor,

Before too much time goes by, the Board of Directors of the AV Historical Society would like to extend a sincere and public thank you to the Anderson Valley Winegrowers Association for including us in the their October 21, Harvest Tidrick Pig Roast Dinner, and especially for hosting a silent auction at that fun event to benefit the AVHS. The Winegrowers Association went out of their way to secure the majority of the auction items, and their efforts resulted in over $4,000 raised for the Historical Society/History Museum. 

Part of the fun of that outdoor Pig Roast dinner at the Fairgrounds was the Boontling Learning game that turned out to be so much fun. Guests at the dinner found a Boontling word with definition at each Wine Grower’s table, assembled sentences, and then came to the Historical Society table to read those sentences aloud to us. The game was a hit, and most of those sentences brought laughs all around. And so, again, we say thanks for bringing us into your event. 

Jerry Karp

Boonville

WUSSY VALLEY

Editor,

I haven’t been to Boonville in 55 years. Back then we heard that the place was full of rough and tough loggers and millworkers and cowboys, hard working all day and hard drinking all night, smashing up the bar rooms and eating hippies for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And these rough cobs of men were descendants of people who walked across the country to hack homesteads out of the wilderness and killed bears just to have warm rugs! So it doesn’t really compute that today’s contemporaries whine about losing sleep to some rich bastards’ noisy machinery. The old boys would have taken care of business. Today? Sounds like Pussy Valley to me.

Ed Baines

Hood Mountain

QUESTIONS FOR WES

Esteemed Editors:

Wes Smoot’s AVA page one article two weeks ago on the history of AV Brewing Company was a killer. Wes is himself a historical artifact because of his deep knowledge of The Valley’s history. And he’s a great journalist too.

Two questions of fact: First, I believed Wiese’s Valley Inn burned down before my settlement here in 1971. Any number of bar connoisseurs and storytellers were mourning its demise in my first years here, and if it had still been alive, I would have visited it, along with the Lodge and the Hotel, in my own local socializing. 

Two: Wes, who’s the current AV Brewery owner? One rumor I heard recently said it was Sierra Nevada Company. True?

And, please, more stories.

Brad Wiley

Navarro

WHO DID IT?

Vandalism in Caspar

Across from the Caspar Community Center-the water tower with the mosaic whale was viciously attacked. Bricks and rocks were scattered in the yard. If anyone saw this happening or has information, please email me off list. Please do not respond to this link. Wow- way too close to home for our community to experience crazy rudeness. Sheriff was notified. Thanks 

KEEPING THE PEACE ON THE COAST

Editor,

I took note this week of the letter by the Willits area area resident who had been helped, following a car accident, so kindly by the deputy sheriff who arrived at the scene. She reported he had helped her keep calm through the shock and aftermath of this event and had arranged for her dog to be taken care of. Of all the AVA news that day, this letter of thanks stuck in my memory.

And now my wife and I have our own thanks for two coastal deputy sheriffs. Saturday night we attended the Caspar Hit’n Run event, fine comedy and many laughs. But as we came out to my wife’s car, parked on the street by the Jewish Community Center after the performance, we noticed a piece of concrete and a car jack on top of the car’s roof, an odd thing for sure. We then noticed that the windshield had been smashed, and the hood was scratched and damaged. Across the street was a man acting strangely and who seemed a likely suspect, but he disappeared inside the building after cursing at me.

Soon two deputies arrived, took my information and went inside the building to talk to the man. They emerged in a few minutes, with the man in cuffs, under arrest. He was saying, as they placed in him in their vehicle, “Why are you arresting me? I didn’t do anything.” The deputies reported he had confessed to damaging the car and was going to jail. Both deputies (one I knew from his former service as a Fort Bragg PD officer for 20 years) were efficient, kind and thorough. Their work at the scene was done so well and so professionally. It was something to admire, the kind of intervention that marks every day in their lives, the normal routines of keeping the peace that not many of us could do.

So, our thanks and gratitude to these brave deputies. We are fortunate to have them in service to our communities.

Chuck Dunbar

Fort Bragg

SEVEN SECONDS OF TERROR

Editor,

It only took a fraction of a second for a early morning stroll on a beautiful Fall day to make all my feelings of gratitude and joy disappear, and to replace them with violent shock and numbness. Just a few minutes before I had left my home and headed down the mile-long driveway, slipper-clad and holding my first cup of coffee for the day, completely unaware of what was about to cross my path just around the first corner. The red flags were immediately waving wildly as I first noticed movement behind a large Chamois bush, the outline was not clear yet but it was large and didn’t match that of a deer-and it was CLOSE.

In the next second I saw all I needed to even though my unexpected guest was still not in full view, as the undulating hips and shoulders that rose above the top of the bush confirmed my worst fears-this was a mountain lion! At this point my brain almost exploded with all kinds of thoughts crossing it in nano-seconds, as I froze dead-center in the middle of the driveway with no nearby cover to dive behind. RUN! THROW THE CUP AT HIM! DROP THE CUP AND THEN RUN! TRY TO LOOK BIG AND CHARGE HIM WHILE YELLING! WHY IS HE SO DAMN CLOSE TO THE HOUSE? Running was quickly ruled-out as a fleeting image of the lion’s claws entering my back as I struggled back up the hill dashed through my head, meanwhile the lion had taken three more steps toward to the edge of the driveway.

It was at this point he finally paused and slowly turned his head towards me, and our stares locked onto each other’s. He was a magnificent beast, somewhere near my body weight of 145 pounds, not nearly as large as the one I saw late one night on the Hopland grade from the safety of my car, but plenty big enough to kill me without question. He was 65 feet in front of me and quite close to a path that lions, bears and deer use frequently, with the bears and lions constantly pooping on the other guy’s poop to show them who’s the boss on this turf.

It was at this point I had a truly insane and desperate thought, maybe my eyes and brain weren’t working right and this was just a Bob Cat, so I unlocked my stare from his for a millisecond to glance at his very long and crooked tail-FUCK NO ITS A LION, STUPID!!!! It was decision time now, he turns left and heads for the hills or he turns right-and I’m breakfast. Oddly enough, though I was in a near-panic mode I had remained calm, since deep-down at second number two of the encounter I knew whatever the outcome was I would not be the one deciding it-I was a participant/ spectator, nothing more-my survival was out of my hands now.

The lion had acted much like the numerous house cats I’ve had, he seemed embarrassed to have let me spot him first — I think that was his first thought regarding my presence. He was supposed to get the drop on me-not the other way around, and that didn’t sit well with him. Maybe it was the lapse in his watchfulness, or maybe it was my movement as I looked in vain for a short little Bob Cat tail on his butt-I have no idea why but he slowly turned to the left and began trotting up the hill and away from me. 

From start to finish my guess was that about seven seconds had elapsed, and now as I walked back to the house the fear was almost overwhelming — this was WAY too close a call! I had gotten sloppy lately, going for strolls too early and too late, and leaving the pistol behind. What if I had started 15 seconds earlier? He would have hit the driveway right behind me, I wouldn’t know it until his claws hit my back. If I had left 10 seconds earlier we would have arrived at the same point at the same time, another unpleasant scenario to consider. Once again dumb luck had saved my butt, and the weird and dumb idea that maybe I’d see another lion someday but he’d be at a safe distance left my mind for good.

Phil Murphy

Grants Pass, Oregon

NATIONAL NARRATIVES DO NOT HELP

Editor,

During the month of October the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office has been swearing in new personnel. Currently we are on track to hire 6 corrections officers by the end of the month, and this is exactly what we need to see. We have been working on recruitment of local people to help us meet the needs of our communities. As we continue to recruit we also have to retain in order to continue filling our ranks. 

Much if this is because our county is a wonderful place to live and work. For that I am grateful to all of our communities. 

Law enforcement across the United States has been suffering losses in numbers and California is no exception. Early retirements and people simply quitting the job is plaguing police departments and Sheriff’s Offices. This combined with fewer police academy cadets is creating a vacuum, people simply aren’t entering the law enforcement profession as they have in the past.

Over the past 30 years I have always enjoyed my job. It is challenging and fulfilling at the same time. Working with our communities which have completely different needs from one end of the county to another is very rewarding and the deputies who work for us often find their personal niche in the communities they serve. 

So we have to ask ourselves why is this happening. Exit interviews are revealing why this is occurring in policing. Much of it appears to be a lack of support by our leaders for those who serve us. There is a National narrative at work. 

Police Officers and Deputy Sheriff’s are tied to the laws the legislators hand down along with the policies of the state. If the legislation is flawed, the people forced to enforce it will suffer the backlash, not the legislators. Much of this legislation has had a direct effect on crime. The felonious killing of police officers has risen by 57% in the United States, the job simply isn’t safe. The national narrative which continually pushes the police are the problem simply isn’t true.  

We have to find balance and currently we have become so polarized our in our nation that I am afraid it’s going to take some very strong and dedicated leadership to make this happen. We have to start here in our communities. 

George Floyd has become a household name in our nation, however when I mention the names of Michael Paredes and Joseph Santana, no one knows who they were. These men were police officers gunned down just a few months ago in California. If one person is to be remembered, all should be remembered.

The national narrative is telling us police violence is the problem however no one is talking about resisting arrest, assaults on officers or the personal responsibility of residents to obey the law. I don’t understand this, how did we get here.

Everyone is talking about our rights however no one is talking about responsibility. Rights and responsibility are connected to one another. No one will have their rights unless they exercise their responsibilities. It seems when a few refuse to excursive responsibility and aren’t held accountable, we all pay with the loss of our rights. 

If a felon has no fear of his intended victims, then he must have fear of the police, the judge and a jury. This is the way things have to work in order to keep peace in a chaotic time. When we detect the crime, the criminal is often the person who will dictate the outcome of this encounter. No one is talking about that and it’s high time we start.

I am seeing new narratives being spun every day. If a person is on drugs the narrative is “self medicating” if a person attacks a deputy the narrative is “behavioral health”. Believe it or not there are criminals out there who commit crimes because they are criminals. 

In the past few decades we have seen these narratives used in many cases as excuses to remove the personal responsibility we should all share. I have seen many cases in which the narrative is clearly asking people to simply outsmart their common sense, that never works out for anyone.

Let’s continue to do things better in Mendocino County than what is being done across the remainder of the state and the nation. Let’s continue to support each other, be good neighbors no matter what someones background or political beliefs may be. Let’s continue to support our deputies and first responders. 

This has been very helpful in allowing more recruitment of the best candidates we can find. Don’t allow the national narratives and polarization of our nation to polarize Mendocino County. 

Remember we are still hiring for Dispatchers, Deputy Sheriffs, Corrections Deputies and Professional Staff. It’s a great place to work and a career one can be proud of.

Thank you.

Sheriff Matt Kendall

Ukiah

TO THAT DEPUTY...

Editor,

I was in a bad car accident on October 29, 2022. It happened where Reynolds Highway meets the 101. I would like to thank the first sheriff on the scene and all the responders for their help. 

I was very scared and the first person on the scene was a sheriff. I don’t know his name, but he kept me calm the whole time. I also had my dog with me and they put him in a sheriff’s car and safely delivered him to my father-in-law. I am so thankful for all these people. Thank you thank you.

Amanda Marsh

Willits

THE GREAT REDWOOD BOONDOGGLE

Editor: 

As a lifelong Democrat, I normally vote for Democratic candidates. In the case of state Sen. Mike McGuire, I’m not voting for him because of his sneaky politics and lack of understanding of the economy and transportation on the North Coast.

McGuire helped engineer the demise of the North Coast Rail Authority, which was created by the state to promote operation of the railroad line from the Bay Area to Humboldt Bay. McGuire has guaranteed that North Coast communities will be forever cut off from the rest of the country in terms of economic development for rail freight and passenger travel.

This, of course, is in the name of the Great Redwood Trail boondoggle, which will cost more to build than if the line were rebuilt to operate trains. McGuire will do everything in his power to remove any possibility to resurrect the railroad in the name of his trail project. Public officials are supposed to be impartial, but McGuire sold his soul to Friends of the Eel River in favor of trading the railroad for a trail.

Michael Strider

Santa Rosa

IDEAS, LOTS OF IDEAS

Editor,

I don't like this war in Ukraine. Since February 24 I have tried to figure out a way to stop it. Yesterday the United States announced that no more war materials would be sent to Ukraine. Several churches in North and South Dakota announced that they were sending groups of volunteers to repair schools and hospitals in eight different parts of the country. Mr. Putin was advised of the location of these repair crews. A week later German churches sent volunteers to eight schools and hospitals to help make them usable again. Pretty soon repair crews arrived from South Korea, India, Iceland, Mexico, etc. Mr. Putin was advised that every part of Ukraine was covered by foreign volunteers numbering in the thousands. There was no place left for him to bomb or invade. The war came to a stop. 

China sends businessman with large amounts of funds to "help" rebuild the economy. Before you could say Jack Robinson, China was taking back some of the profits home to China for Xi Jin Ping and friends. Chinese laundries and restaurants opened by the thousands in Ukraine. Three out of four businesses were owned by Chinamen. Mr. Puten doesn't monkey with Ukraine anymore and my project was concluded.

The headline said "Boonville editor picked to head federal agency." Former governor Dr. Kitzheben, Chairman of the search committee, announced that they had offered the editor the leadership of the new national service program, a one-year mandatory enlistment for all youth starting on their 18th birthday. The leader doesn't have to do anything, just issue a proclamation once in awhile. Dr. Kitzheben was asked: Why was it that the editor was selected? We wanted a famous person. One of the Mayfields? Owner of the Savings bank? Richard Shoemaker? And so it came to pass that the Editor became the most famous person in Mendocino County by default. Can he read and write? You can bet your sweet arse. Not only a good writer, but he is an interesting and entertaining writer. Why the hell do you think I read about the doings and people in Anderson Valley who I have no interest in? Because I might find and often do find something interesting to read. We don't know much about his reading habits but suspect that he has read all of Steinbeck's fiction. He may have read "Postcards, Annie Proulx's first novel. A Vermont farm boy's girlfriend dies under the same circumstances as did Nelson Rockefeller. He sealed off her body in a stone wall and then disappeared. Once each year the Vermont farm received a postcard from a remote address somewhere in the West — Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado — and the "Shipping News" tells about a guy who walks into a restaurant and says, "I'll have the fried bologna dinner." The "Shipping News" reserves one page each issue for "sexual assault." Is the editor often criticized? Reading the AVA for the past 15 years we find one mild fault finder every two years. 

A different story early in his career. Two dudes arrived, one in Redwood Valley and the Editor in Mendocino County. Nobody had ever seen anything like them before. They must be in Redwood Valley. The preacher Jim Kool-Aid Jones was soon bringing school bus loads of Negroes from the Bay Area to his church each Sunday morning. The charismatic Reverend Jones soon became the toast of the county. Women with no panties on were rubbing up against him wherever he went. 

The editor was playing the game of professional social worker by bringing young delinquents off the streets of Oakland. He was making no friends fast except a few lefties. When it was learned that he had bought the newspaper, people in Anderson Valley went "Jeezus, what's next?" The newspaper had 30 regular advertisers but after three months had lost them all. Mendo Mill sent him a telegram canceling their ads. He started pushing for socialism and is still doing it to this very day. Good on you, keep it up and soon we will have a public bank. 

From being almost 100% opposed with constant critics he has managed to soften up the residents of the county and now is admired by many people but they won't admit it. He is the best writer in his newspaper. Malcolm Macdonald was a pretty all right writer as long as he lasted. 

How is the mandatory year of public service supposed to operate? The boy patriots will engage in weeding out all of the dumb people under 21 years of age and see to it that they learn a trade. The rest will be required to attend two classes a week entitled "Adventures in Socialism." The girl patriots will teach classes in kitchen and bedroom skills such as opening a can of Campbell's tomato soup. (Safeway sells Campbell Soup at half price one week out of six.) Be careful not to burn it. No fat chicks. All fatties will be shunted off to fat farms and when they return minus the ugly pounds they will be anxious to engage in, ahem, new activities. Will the girl patriots be required to abstain from sexual activities? No, no, no. In the first place they can use the practice and in the second place there are an equal number of boy patriots when looking for sex.

Prominent people who would have liked the Editor: Eleanor Roosevelt, Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Babe Ruth, Bernie Sanders. For the past 25 years I have been giving you new ideas which you have ignored. Here are two more: put all Republicans who are charming and all of the Democrats who are charming in a sack, shake it up and you will find the "24 presidential candidates." Biden and Desantis are not in the sack. A popular idea: Make a list of all of the Internet and television programs who appeal to conservatives and those who appeal to liberals (just a short list). Who will do it? Someone in the print world might. Washington, Oregon and California voters favored Trump in 2016 and 2020 except for the coastal counties. I like the way George Skelton is critical of the liberals. I don't like people who are all negative with no answers and let the chips fall where they may. Some of them are falling in downtown Boonville.

Keep the Aspidistra flying

Ralph Bostrom

Willits

ATTENTION, HILL MUFFS

Press release from Department of Cannabis Control (DCC):

This guidance is to remind all Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) licensees, regardless of license type, of their responsibility to comply with environmental laws and regulations related to the operation of generators.

Specifically, the use of internal combustion engine generators is generally prohibited for primary or supplemental power to a licensee’s building, facility, or premises. In limited circumstances, emergency internal combustion generators and turbines may be allowed if they are operated under an existing permit issued by the applicable Air District, or if they are registered under the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) Portable Equipment Registration Program (PERP). The operation of such internal combustion generators and turbines must be on a temporary, emergency basis and must comply with the terms and conditions of the applicable permit or registration.

In addition to the above requirements that apply to all licensees, cultivators specifically must also comply with the requirements provided in California Code of Regulations, title 4, section 16306.

Please be aware that connecting unauthorized generators or using such generators in a manner that is inconsistent with the terms and conditions of the applicable permit or registration, may result in the shutdown and removal of the equipment. It may also subject the licensee to disciplinary action from the applicable Air District, CARB, and/or the DCC.

Specific questions regarding the operation of generators at your premises may be directed to your local Air District. Follow the links below for additional information.

Resources:

California Air Resources Board’s Portable Equipment Registration Program (PERP)

California Air Resources Board’s Frequently Asked Questions on PERP

Find your Applicable Air District

Air District Rules

Department of Cannabis Current Code of Regulations

* * *

BEN ROUNDS COMMENTS: At this time, this seems like a calculated move to put a nail in the coffin of all the off grid (legacy / “Dirty hippie pot farmers!”) in the hills. Many farms have failed due to the over regulation and the undermining of the small-medium industry by the government.

Now they go in for the kill! They know off grid farms can’t survive year ’round off alternative power sources. They have always wanted to get the growers out of the hills and onto flat (easily regulated and surveilled) lands.

I support changes to be made to protect the climate/ planet. We all have to suck it up in our lifestyles and choices as best we can. And yes. If someone is running an indoor operation off grid, burning fossil fuels 10-12 months a year, that seems like a bad plan. But the agencies/ government are exploiting the climate issue to meet their agenda.

Lots of comments here reflect the truth about the contradictions of these rules. And while I agree to some point Redwood Dan, I disagree with one of your assertions: ‘The system isn’t broken’. It’s functioning just as planned, stab after stab, to kill the legacy farmers off!

DO WE REALLY NEED COWS?

Editor: 

Yes, it’s sad to hear that more dairies are going out of business. But are dairies needed, or are they obsolete? What happens to produce a gallon of milk from a cow? First, consider all the water needed to produce milk. Cows eat a lot, mostly alfalfa, and it takes about 4,900 gallons of water to raise the 7 pounds of alfalfa cows eats daily. She drinks 23 gallons of water daily, and ranchers use about 150 gallons to keep stalls clean. It adds up to about 725 gallons of water to produce a gallon of milk. Finally, consider the environmental damage from cows: methane that adds to climate warming, excrement that pollutes groundwater or ends up in rivers and the ocean.

The truth is everything produced by dairies is available from plants: milk, cheese, ice cream, butter, etc. When you consider how much water is used during this ongoing drought, and factor in all the fuel needed to plant and harvest food for cows, I don’t see how many of the 27 remaining dairies can last much beyond 2030.

Paul Sconfienza

Santa Rosa

FREE SPEECH OR HATE SPEECH

Editor,

Looking ahead to the 2024 presidential campaign, already it is clear there is one probable candidate, Donald John Trump. Creator of the Big Lie, Trump continues his racially biased rhetoric. “Paul Pelosi deserves to be attacked,” say some. Shades of Trump’s White House remarks about his Vice President, Mike Pence, who bravely did his duty certifying Biden’s victory as President on Jan. 6, 2021. 

Going back to June, 2015, after announcing his candidacy for president, Trump stated his intention, “to make America great again.” He added,”Mexico is not sending its best people.” The ones coming, according to him, had “lots of problems… drugs… some are rapists.” Free speech shouldn’t be hate speech. Republicans are always preaching “law and order” as if one must first be a Republican before he or she can speak in public about how much they support “law and order.” 

Once the pandemic began, President Trump opened the door to violence against Asian Americans by branding it, “the China flu.” While he backed vaccine research, he politicized anti-Covid measures (mask wearing, for example) and vaccinations of the public while tens of thousands died. 

Frank Baumgardner

Santa Rosa

PATTERSON’S CLAIMS

Editor,

There is a modern proverb stating: “An attorney who represents himself has a fool for a client.” Jacob Patterson has taken this axiom to a whole new level. Not only does Mr. Patterson represent himself, but it appears that he may be his only client, along with empty “citizen groups” devoid of citizens. 

Patterson dedicates his career to both volunteering obsessive oversight of city operations; and filing claims against the city on behalf of himself. He has filed eight claims against the city: seven on behalf of himself and one on behalf of a “citizen group”; and he has threatened many, many more. Over the past five years, he has initiated close to 300 public records requests - ostensibly looking for some type of impropriety within the City. 

One of Mr. Patterson’s biggest monetary rewards from the City was almost $19,000 paid to his landlord/mother, City Council Candidate Michelle Roberts through the Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) Program. To put this into perspective, Ms. Roberts received the fourth highest sum of any Fort Bragg “landlord” for room rentals to her two adult sons. The top three recipients on the list (landlords receiving more than Roberts) were two apartment building owners and a property manager. The reward was so great, that his landlord/mother tripled his room rent from $400 per month to $1,200 per month, during the pandemic. A form 700 filed by Roberts immediately prior to accepting TBRA funding did not claim any rental income. (CoFB, PRA 22-183) Once all program funds were expended, many local Fort Bragg residents - who did not have a parent willing to support them into their 40’s - were denied rental assistance. 

Between civil claims, Patterson stalks City employees, threatens to have employees fired and then demands to be employed by the City at the director salary level. An email cry for help from Former City Manager Tabatha Miller shortly prior to vacating her position was directed to City Council describing Patterson’s behavior: 

“I have tried to figure out how to work with Jacob Patterson so that his destructive and vindictive side doesn’t get the best of staff, Council, me or the City. …He very much wants to work at the City, but is also intent on breaking down and destroying much of it. I have spent a year trying to figure out how to give him a productive role here so that he doesn’t destroy us. … 

“These discussions range from him happily agreeing to work on the project to his demands to be hired as a City employee at a Director pay scale and that I must fire certain employees on his “hit list” (which changes depending on his mood).” 

His demeaning treatment and “borderline stalking” of City employees was so egregious that the local union became involved. A portion of the SEIU letter to City Council is shown below: 

“This individual’s (Patterson’s) obsessive and unrelenting actions should raise alarm bells. It appears that this individual has gone so far as to visit city staff’s home and taken photographs of their houses. His rambling missives to the city cite fictitious organizations that seem to exist only in his imagination, leading many to be understandable concerned about his mental stability.” 

Patterson is no longer allowed to interact directly with city staff; but his bizarre behavior and drain of city resources continues. In the past two months City Manager Peggy Ducey received 136 emails from Patterson raging about petty issues. 

While it would be unfair to criticize Roberts simply due to unsuccessful parenting outcomes, there are several items that voters should consider when heading to the polls: 

• Roberts’ participation in the TBRA program after claiming no rental income leads to concerns about her integrity. She received more funding than the vast majority of real landlords for housing her two grown children in her home. 

• Roberts signed a Code of Conduct form agreeing to refrain from scurrilous attacks of opposing candidates and yet she failed to intervene when her son -Patterson - publicly attacked candidates Peters and Albin-Smith. 

• Roberts is supplementing Patterson’s living expenses, thereby allowing him to use his law degree to be a public nuisance. If gainfully employed, he would lack time for petty tirades. 

• How much more destructive might Patterson become to City operations if he has a council member who will listen to his antics at the dinner table for the next four years? 

• How will city staff feel when Patterson’s mother becomes their boss, after suffering so many attacks from Patterson? 

• What will she do as her son’s many claims are presented to City Council? 

• How does she have the nerve to run for City Council, when she is aware that her son outrageously attacks city staff; files petty complaints against the city requesting large sums of money; drains city resources; and uses bizarre tactics, such as extortion, to try to get a job wit the City? 

The irony is that Patterson has utilized a colossal amount of city resources in an obsessive, unsubstantiated search for misuse of city resources, when the culprit was much closer to home. He did not need to conduct an exhaustive review of public finances. He only needed to look squarely in the mirror. 

Signed,

Outraged in Fort Bragg 

(All statements can be substantiated through City of Fort Bragg PRA requests 22-183 to 22-186.) 

* * *

PATTERSON RESPONDS:

AVA,

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the anonymous letter submitted to the AVA by “Outraged in Fort Bragg”. Although I wouldn’t normally respond to such nonsense, I feel I owe it to Michelle Roberts to correct the record concerning this misleading tirade since her candidacy is mentioned and it is clear the intent is to try to discourage people from voting for her in next week’s election. The author doesn’t even identify themself and proceeds to make unfounded allegations that are allegedly supported by records they obtained from the City of Fort Bragg. I tend to discount anonymous missives because the person writing them doesn’t even have the integrity or fortitude to identify themselves. How can one respond to someone who won’t identify who they are? At least people know it is me when I write into the AVA so they can contact me directly if they have any concerns or want to try to refute something I write.

First, I will not comment on any matter involving my legal representation of clients unless I have their permission to do so and I have no such permission. I will say that none of my clients are imaginary or mere alter egos as the author suggests. Actual people who are not me are in all community groups I have assisted, either formally as a lawyer representing them or just as a fellow concerned citizen providing non-professional assistance. Some of them have even identified themselves at various times and at public meetings but the author doesn’t appear to want to let the facts get in the way of their preferred narrative.

Second, concerning the ridiculous allegation that Michelle Roberts was part of anything improper by receiving rental assistance income from a program that was administered by the City of Fort Bragg (but using federal money not local resources), I can state with certainty that nothing untoward happened despite the author suggesting otherwise. Setting aside the fact that financial and personally-identifiable information about program participants should not have been released by the City of Fort Bragg about any of the recipients because such information is protected by various privacy laws and applicable program guidelines, the alleged “facts” presented by the author are either completely false or misleading.

Here is the truth: Michelle Roberts did not report receiving rental income prior to 2020 because she did not have a rental unit prior to 2020. The two Form 700s referenced by the author cover calendar years 2018 and 2019 where she did not have any rental units. No rental units = no income. In 2020, she replaced a former alley house that had been demolished with a new building and she moved into the brand-new residence. After that, she rented out her former residence to me. There has never been any rent increase, let alone one that happened during Covid, but there were two different rental units with different rent amounts. I have been living in my current larger and more expensive residence since July 2020, which is months before the rental assistance program administered by the City of Fort Bragg even began—the program applications were processed in September and October of 2020 but the program covered prior periods going back to April 2020. Landlords don’t even apply to this program, the tenants do. I knew about the program because of my regular attendance at City meetings and I applied. I recommended the program to my brother who also applied. Michelle had little involvement outside confirming information provided by her tenants about outstanding rent and agreeing to receive the rental assistance on behalf of her tenants. When she received rental income, she properly reported it.

Third, the author goes on to list other considerations for voters as they make their choices on who to support but that part of their letter is also riddled with ridiculousness. For example, I have properly objected to two candidates’ involvement in an apparent scheme to alter their nomination paperwork to try to run for seats they were not actually nominated for, including in my own previous letter to the AVA. The author describes those objections as scurrilous attacks, implying that they somehow violate the candidates’ pledge to not engage in dirty campaign tactics. Setting aside that I am not involved in Michelle Roberts’ campaign in any way—I didn’t even sign her nomination papers—she has no influence or control over my actions and statements because I am an independent person and an adult who makes his own choices. Michelle is responsible for herself but she does not direct or influence my actions. Further, none of my objections concerning the improper alteration of the nomination papers of Tess Albin-Smith or Lindy Peters are inappropriate or scurrilous in any way.

Who has been subject to scurrilous attacks and dirty campaign tactics? Certainly not Tess or Lindy. They were properly called out for their own actions and choices that were highly improper. However, Michelle continues to be attacked with completely false allegations in an apparent attempt to keep her from being elected. The anonymous letter is merely another example of these attacks. Moreover, I have heard that Tess Albin-Smith’s campaign has been knocking on doors and telling people that Tess had to run as a write-in candidate because Michelle threatened to sue the City over the nomination papers. That would be a false and scurrilous attack. Not only was Michelle not involved in discovering or objecting to the nomination papers scandal, she has never threatened to sue anyone about it. In fact, no one threatened to sue the City at all, let alone Michelle. That is only the latest dirty campaign tactic following many others.

I trust Fort Bragg voters to make their choices and value transparency and truth. Unfortunately, this campaign has devolved into a mess due to nonsense like this anonymous author is peddling.

Thanks again,

Jacob Patterson 

Fort Bragg

THE GIUSTI REPORT

Editor,

Happy 68th birthday.

I finally just received the September 7 issue of the AVA. Mail here is very, very slow. I'm kind of tired of hearing about Sergeant Murray's two-year probation sentence. Slap on the wrist? More like a tickle of the toe. I am in here for basically a harmless, homeless camp fight and got an 18 to life sentence. Who is the coward who wrote about me and didn't give his name? That dude states in a letter to the editor that the alleged victim was half dead in a rest home. That's a bold faced lie. The District Attorney has no clue where this “snitch cat” disappeared to. He fled Mendocino County as he was wanted for questioning in the mysterious deaths of two of my hobo pals: Charlie Hensley and Pasadena Dave. This alleged “victim” in my case came to my camp intending to make me or another camper his third victim! He brought an accomplice with him and they snuck up on my camp without their shopping carts. Carts tend to wake hobos up.

You seem fairly intelligent. When are you going to catch on to these wicked people? Evil characters like Judge Faulder and Alan 'the snith' Crow and John Greasy Thumb McCowen? It's hard to believe supervisor Ted Williams made up a lie about McCowen stealing those county keys. McCowen eventually returned them, admitting to having them. Why is John McCowen laying low like a hermit? 

You'd have to be blind not to figure out that District Attorney Eyster won't prosecute a cop even if he was a mass murderer! He already just let serial rapist Murray fly free.

Let's look at Alan Crow's track record. He knew about my cousin's illegal pot grow in Covelo. When my cousin got busted Alan's serious Lake County charges were dismissed immediately. Then he comes to Mendocino County Jail and writes a slanderous letter to the AVA about me. After the article was published he was mysteriously released. Then he robbed a girl at gunpoint and after praising District Attorney Eyster in that article, Eyster stuck him with a seven-year sentence. If that would have been me I would have got 10 for the robbery, five for the gun, plus a strike. So Crow only got a hard tickle of the toe. Now he is allegedly dying of liver disease! In 2001 he had a brain tumor! Come on, we all know now he is a backstabber but he's got you and some AVA readers hoodwinked!

McCowen cleaning up homeless camps? Who is going to be snowed by that one? I've personally seen him persecute homeless people in public! 

Lastly, I want to make one thing perfectly clear. I think AVA readers and my home boys and girls in Fort Bragg desire to read the truth. The victim in my case was a notorious woman beater and sneak thief of homeless people who narced and dealt drugs with certain Ukiah policemen! When these Ukiah police pulled up to arrest me, this victim told the cop, “Leave me alone. I'll get Giusti on my own. I'll get revenge on Giusti.” One hour later he told the Adventist medical staff to let him go home. The Ukiah police then showed the nurses a document with Judge Faulder's name on it with an order to blood test me. I refused but they forced the test on me anyway which constitutes an illegal search and seizure. My quiz is this: how did the Ukiah police get Judge Faulder's document at 1 AM, 15 minutes after my arrest? My whole attempted murder case was phony baloney. The victim never pressed charges nor appeared in court. My own lawyer denied me witnesses and a court trial. I was forced to have a rigged jury.

You make the call.

Sincerely,

David ‘Detective Youngcault’ Giusti

California State Prison, Delano