Letters (April 13, 2023)

• Whale Watching, In Ukiah
• The Eternal Battle Against Caltrans’ Poison Spraying
• Supervisor Williams' Many Deceptions
• Name Changers: At Least Get Your Info Right
• Caltrans’ Bad Plans For Highway 1
• PG&E Will Be Ready
• Not To Worry, Average Income People
• Blithe Confidence
• Carrie's In!
• So He Was Gonna Defraud Stormy Too
• Too Many Cannabis Bars In Ukiah
• Resurrected: ‘Jim Crow’
• Flea-Bitten

WHALE WATCHING, IN UKIAH

To the Editor:

Watching 12 hours of a Board of Supervisor’s meeting is like watching killer whales trying to kill gray whales. There is a lot of circling, but you have to wait for the right moment for the biting.

Immediately after the Director of Mendocino’s Pot Department resigned a week ago this Tuesday —after a one hour evaluation in closed session where she probably claimed she was following the law and certain supervisors likely urged her to break it— the second discussion of the forever Pot Tax forgiveness bail out of the Pot Lobby was considered.

Pot growers, who saw the State tax on pot removed last year, then won a new victory in Mendocino County when the Supervisors voted 3-2 to cut the pot tax in half, waive interest and penalties on $4.2 million of delinquent taxes owed to the county, and indicated no one has to worry about any POT tax collection— since the current Collection section of the Pot Ordnance is probably not legal though the county counsel failed to cite one case holding that counties cannot collect back Pot Taxes.

California is the land of possibilities and not one supervisor asked the county counsel exactly why the Tax Collector has sat on her hands for two years while back pot taxes kept growing as fast as pot.

Fireworks were seen over Willits— the home town of John Haschak— one of the supervisors who voted yes and Mulheren who pushed the ordinance through to successful conclusion. McGourty gave an incompressible excuse why he voted yes, but politics no doubt counted more for him than equality of taxpayers.

Supervisors Williams and Gjerde voted no, with the former claiming and the CEO confirming, that the county budget will be $750,000 short as a result of the sweetheart deal passed. Williams asked, and no one replied, how the deficit in revenue resulting from the tax break to pot growers will be filled.

Gjerde equivocated — worried — tried to find a better way before getting to the point that using state grant funds to pay back taxes was unacceptable to him and all of the non-drugged residents of the county, a dwindling minority.

Mulheren, Haschak, and McGourty seem worried about revenue shortfalls unless and until their pot growing voters pressure them to give them, and only them, tax breaks, while pot holes go unfilled, mentally ill wander the streets, and caregivers to the elderly begged the supervisors for a few dollars an hour in pay increases.

It seems the majority who voted for Mendocino’s Pot Lobby just does not care that ordinary people— who pay tax on cars, business taxes to sell shoes, or gas taxes— will now have to pay the deficit in county revenue the Pot Supervisors McGourty, Mulheren, and Haschak created by passing this Bail Out.

Big Pot knows most Mendocino voters are too docile or stoned to care if they get screwed by Big Pot.

Alan Stein

Mendocino

THE ETERNAL BATTLE AGAINST CALTRANS’ POISON SPRAYING

Editor,

Caltrans used 421,000 pounds of herbicide to kill weeds on state highways and freeways last year, but not in Mendocino and Humboldt counties, where this chemical spraying has been on hold for THIRTY-FIVE years! There’s a bill in the CA Assembly AB99 which would require that Caltrans develop an integrated pest management program for statewide use, do some training, provide advance notice of herbicide spraying, report annually on where, what and how much herbicide it uses with the key requirement being for counties that have an IPM program or restrict their own roadside spraying and other similar Caltrans will have to adopt IPM in that county.

We tried to get into AB99 that it would be IPM without herbicides but can’t get it this time around, tho there’s promise this is the beginning and the first time the legislature will oversee what’s going on with Caltrans spraying with the intent of dialing it down. We want much more but can support this. I’ve attached my 3-minute testimony in the Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials committee last week (as one of two speakers allowed) and would love it if AVA would interview me or otherwise write a story about this bill and the current status with Caltrans spraying in our counties and statewide.

Patty Clary, Executive Director, 

Californians for Alternatives to Toxics 

600 F Street, Ste 3 #911 

Arcata, CA 95521 

(707) 834-4833 or 530-625-5153

PS. I contacted three Mendo supervisors and couldn’t get the interest of one on this issue.

Humboldt’s chair of its now liberal/progressive board of supes, Steve Madrone, wrote a letter of support for AB99 but in Mendocino I can’t yet find even an enviro interested in getting this before the Board or carrying it in any way. I’m having more luck with the notoriously difficult to get to Hoopa and Yurok tribes than with your supes. I’ll send a packet of info to two of them, including newspaper articles about when Mendocino requested Caltrans to not spray in 1997 and how it doesn’t, and how this isn’t guaranteed in any way.

SUPERVISOR WILLIAMS' MANY DECEPTIONS

Editor,

I wish to expand on a couple of recent points brought to AVA readers by Fort Bragg mayor Bernie Norvell. As regular readers know I hold Ted Williams in complete contempt.  But Norvell’s recent letters allow us to examine the record of this Supervisor in two areas, Roads and Housing.  Connecting the dots on the craven and deceitful  performance of this Supervisor is no easy task as his web of deceit is intricate.  But I’ll give it a shot.

Norvell sniffs out that  Ted,  in telling  his constituents to get involved in the budget process,  might be  testing the waters for a new road tax.  While I can’t comment on that aspect it does appear clear that  Ted is up to his usual tactics of blame shifting.  

I am also sourcing part of my critique based on a letter Ted wrote to Albion constituents about  roads that was widely circulated on a local email list. In that email Williams also calls for public involvement in the budget process, basically acting like a stern parent.  To paraphrase:  If you don’t participate in the budget process.  don’t come whining to me later: basically shifting the job that his constituents elected HIM to do onto them.  

Worse yet, Ted’s penchant for pitting different constituents off against each other also reveals itself in that letter.  

Example:

Williams: “At the last BOS meeting, on a 4-1 vote with Williams dissenting, we gave away 50% of the cannabis business tax for the next two years. I agree that funding the core government on drug taxes is a bad plan.” 

That tax was  returned as an incentive  to the very, very few legacy growers that have attempted to persist in the legalization process, a process that most have just abandoned due to the state and local roadblocks that have been put in front of them.  A process that in  his 2018 campaign for the job Williams vowed to fix by making a 1 page application with a $25 fee.   Now with the dream of Mendocino County small farmers  contributing to a vibrant local economy dying, rather than take any responsibility for his massive indifference, Ted would rather tell his constituents, “I can’t fix your roads because my fellow Supervisors would rather fund drug growers.” Compared to neighboring counties, the number of people who have been permitted in Mendocino County is abysmal. So the problem is clearly one of  political focus. Even more sickening is Williams stoking resentment towards  a group that he has personally underserved!

Let’s return to Norvell and his appeal to county leaders to deal with chronic mentally ill homeless.  Norvell points out that Fort Bragg implemented  major pieces of the Marbut Report to produce better outcomes for Fort Bragg, that by all metrics the City has been successful in reducing many chronic problems.

I’m sorry to dwell on certain things, but the Marbut report came out in 2018 when Ted and I were both vying for the 5th District seat.   Ted proposed using 3-D printers to create places for the unhoused.  Nearly five years into his term, Ted has not moved forward on this issue.  And if he’s done anything about chronic workforce housing shortage, I’m unaware of it.

I have no further political aspirations for myself. When I entered the race in  2018 I was hoping to fulfill a personal vision that our County would be a good place for children and families, that our local government would be a responsive co-creative partner  with its citizens. Although my aspirations ended in a certain calamity, I still hold out  hope for this vision.  And Williams gaslights his own constituency dividing them up ideologically for his own selfish purposes. That is an obstacle  to that vision.

While I don’t expect my efforts to make much difference,  I have had a front row seat to this man’s career,  first as allies on the Albion Little River Fire Protection District, where, upon Ted’s request I served on the BOD.  Ted was Fire Chief.   We got a lot done together, and then we were opponents for the 5th District Seat.  I got to see how he treated a “friend” once he wanted something.  

This man is a complete political Chameleon, showing certain faces to certain people at certain times.  If his constituents  continue to be distracted by his carnival shell game  and don't start looking at the whole package of who/what he is,  we will continue to limp toward failure. I don’t know if my efforts will have any impact,  but silence is not an option that my conscience can bear.

Ethics matter! 

Thank you,

Chris Skyhawk

Fort Bragg

NAME CHANGERS: AT LEAST GET YOUR INFO RIGHT

Editor,

I’ve only known Fort Bragg since 1972. But I’ve studied its interesting history and how it came to have such a name. I can understand writing the paper and saying you don’t like the name’s connotations, but the writers should at least do some research so they understand what they are writing about. 

Chas Fleischman states that “the fort was utilized only as a way to subdue and punish native Pomo people.” 

Some research would show the post was originally established with the intent to keep settlers from slaughtering Native Americans. Many Forts established at that time in California actually had their soldiers fighting the vigilantes doing the killing. 

Much was done well, but some were not. The name Fort Bragg was chosen by Lt. Horatio Gates Gibson because Capt. Braxton Bragg was his Commanding Officer during the Mexican War. He had great admiration for Bragg’s skill in artillery, and they became close friends. Capt. Bragg, later a General, was given awards for his gallantry at the battle of Buena Vista. He was a U.S. war hero at the time the Fort was named in his honor by Lt. Gibson. It was only later, when the Civil War broke out, that he crossed the line and became a Confederate General. 

Horatio Gibson did, however, talk Washington into naming the new base in North Carolina Fort Bragg as well, knowing, of course, Bragg’s part in the war. So when Richard Karch, in his letter, says the town was “misnamed,” that statement is not entirely true. 

Some real history about the Fort here and others in Northern California, along with the interaction of those commanding them, can be found in the truly incredible book ‘Regulars in the Redwoods’ by William F. Strobridge. 

In today’s world, I can understand wanting to correct some of America’s truly poor cultural history. As we look at a possible name change, each person will have their own reasoning and feelings. However, as we discuss the pros and cons of doing so, let’s be sure we have the right information to work with.

John Skinner

Fort Bragg

CALTRANS’ BAD PLANS FOR HIGHWAY 1

Editor,

The 78-year-old Albion River Bridge is the last remaining timber trestle highway bridge on the California coast, and possibly in the United States.

Caltrans has plans for Highway 1 on the Mendocino Coast — bad plans. To learn about them, the Albion Bridge Stewards invite the community to an exhibit at the Albion Post Office. See Caltrans' five planned projects for the Navarro Ridge and Albion area, and learn the facts about the historic Albion River Bridge. A designated state and federal historic landmark, the 78-year-old Albion River Bridge is the last remaining timber trestle highway bridge on the California coast, and possibly in the United States. Also learn about the so-called Navarro Ridge Safety Project, which threatens to deform the gateway to the Mendocino Coast—the area adjacent to the Navarro Point Preserve. The exhibit is on display until April 30; the post office is open Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 12 noon and from 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm. The Albion Bridge Stewards are working to protect our coast, from its bridges to its ridges. To learn more, visitwww.savehighway1.org.

Annemarie Weibel

Albion

PG&E WILL BE READY

Editor: 

Sounds like a large increase in demand for electricity is on the horizon. No more gas water heaters and furnaces — going electric. Cooktops — going electric. No more gasoline cars — going electric. I marvel that elected officials seem to have confidence in the investor-owned utility that supplies electricity. Will it be ready? I’m sure that their management bonus plan will be ready. I am sure that the rate increase proposals will be ready. And no doubt the PR flimflam will be ready. But will the electrical supply and distribution system be capable, ready and affordable? One chicken, one egg, one basket.

Everett Van Gurp

Santa Rosa

NOT TO WORRY, AVERAGE INCOME PEOPLE

Editor: 

The author of a recent letter to the Press Democrat seems to have a misunderstanding of Rep. Mike Thompson’s cosponsorship of the IRS Whistleblower Program Improvement Act to reduce tax fraud. The bill was actually introduced by Republican Rep. Mike Kelly. This bipartisan bill is basically an update to the current program. According to Zukerman Law’s website, whistleblowers only receive payment if their claims meet the following criteria:

• The whistleblower provides specific and credible information that the IRS decides to take action on (a whistleblower cannot force the IRS to act on a tip).

• The information relates to tax underpayments of over $2 million (or if the subject of the claim is an individual, his or her gross income must exceed $200,000 for at least one of the tax years in question).

• The IRS collects tax underpayments resulting from the action (including any related actions).

I don’t believe the average citizen tends to have tax payments of over $2 million. So we can rest assured that Thompson and President Joe Biden are not asking anyone to squeal on their middle-class neighbor. The bill, as always, is concentrating on tax fraud by wealthy citizens and corporations.

Gordon Barbosa

Fort Bragg

BLITHE CONFIDENCE

Editor:

Already down the greased chute into the memory hole with scarcely a double-take, the following blithe confidence delivered by FBI Director Chris Wray on February 28: “The FBI has for quite some time now assessed that the origins of the pandemic are most likely a potential lab incident in Wuhan.”

The FBI now confirms the lab leak theory. Two years ago, if someone on Twitter had correctly said such a thing, in accordance with the principle of Occam's Razor, “That's the most plausible explanation,” the FBI would've instructed Twitter to flag the comment as “disinformation.” They were also meeting with Facebook executives in order to instruct them on how to handle “wrong” opinions. It's an old story: the powers that be do not strictly forbid the airing of truths, but they will indicate when the time is right for the client population to accept them.

The victim attitude: the virus happened to us. We suffered, withstood it with courage, displayed obedience to the authorities, the same ones who've misled us and have been disastrously wrong in the past, and we can not be accused of prolonging the pandemic by expressing any skepticism. We muzzled any doubts we may have had and affirmed a nebulous faith in “science,” as if a rigorous skepticism is not at the very heart of the scientific method. The victim attitude, now deeply inculcated in the American psyche, precludes the broaching of the most obvious question that might be expected to arise after any disaster of such magnitude: “How do we make sure that what just happened never happens again?” The most obvious question, suspiciously absent from public discourse.

A novel virus leaked from a germ research lab as the result of a security lapse. That has been the most tenable explanation from January, 2020, until this moment. Any organism that has been tampered with or “engineered” is ipso facto a human artifact. Why are these artifacts being produced? Prolonged meditation on the matter would be unhelpful to the biotech industry, the pharmaceutical racket, the weapons manufacturers, and, more broadly, any powerful interest that benefits from the continuing existence of a passive populace that has been trained to believe that the experts will conjure up the solutions to all disasters both natural and man-made.

As for the argument that the biotech engineering that resulted in the novel corona-virus is itself necessary in order to develop defenses, germ warfare research and development has always deployed this tautological charade.

On a completely unrelated note, the American people, properly focusing their attention on the latest installment of this or the other superhero movie franchise, blithely disregard the fact that the CDC is keeping viable a quantity of the smallpox virus in Atlanta, as is Russia at their lab in Novosibirsk. In both cases, the rationale is that this little smudge of one of the most potent man-killers in history may yet yield up useful data.

What could possibly go wrong?

Volt-Voort

Rome, New York

CARRIE'S IN!

Editor,

1st District Supervisor Campaign Announcement

Hi, I'm Carrie Shattuck. Recently I announced my intention to run for 1st District Supervisor. I am a lifelong resident of Mendocino County. I am a mother, volunteer, and business advocate. I have been the owner of a trucking company, school business manager and caregiver. I have attended each of the Board of Supervisor meetings for over a year and believe our county needs strong business leadership and direction, which I am capable, eager, and willing to give.

There needs to be a standard of accountability and follow through on many current issues. My priority would be to scrutinize each line of the county budget to eliminate wasteful spending. Those dollars could be refocused into our neglected roads placing focus on maintenance of our thoroughfares.

Another area of focus would be directing attention to business development in Mendocino County. We need to look to making our area attractive to potential business by advocating for the development of pro-business county regulations.

Water is a serious issue for our county, especially for Potter Valley, with the uncertainty of Scott Dam and Lake Pillsbury. I recently spoke with Mr. Downing from the Russian River Forum, that is now forming to spearhead this effort of local jurisdiction, and received an update of it's status. I will be at the next Inland Water and Power Commission meeting (IWPC), in Ukiah on April 13th.

Our Cannabis Program is a mess. It needs some real direction and not just throwing money at it. Years have been wasted and stakeholders are still waiting for permits and direction. This reflects poorly on the county and the stakeholders. Our county businesses depend on these revenues as well as the County's budget since the Board of Supervisors put these anticipated revenues into the budget. But due to lack of efficiency this program is actually costing the County money at this point.

I will be a Supervisor who attends local functions and listens to concerns that affect each of you. As well as mingling at the Board meetings and not just being “off limits” behind the pony wall throughout the day. I appreciate Supervisor Haschak that he engages with the public at every meeting. I feel our leaders have lost that personal connection with their voters over the years and that needs to change.

I want to speak on behalf of everyone. I will be a public servant for the people!

Dedicated~Driven~Determined

votecarrie2024@gmail.com or call me (707)489-5178 Campaign Headquarters: 367 N. State St., Suite 105, Ukiah, CA 95482

Happy Spring!

Carrie Shattuck

Ukiah

SO HE WAS GONNA DEFRAUD STORMY TOO

Editor,

“The Defendant directed Lawyer A to delay making a payment to Woman 2 as long as possible. He instructed Lawyer A that if they could delay the payment until after the election, they could avoid paying altogether, because at that point it would not matter if the story became public.”

(People v. Trump, Statement of Facts filed April 4, 2023, emphasis added)

What a guy.

James Luther

Mendocino

TOO MANY CANNABIS BARS IN UKIAH

To the Editor:

Fifty professional healthcare providers, including twenty-five physicians serving Ukiah, believe that the Ukiah City Council has made a terrible mistake voting four to one to allow cannabis consumption sites (Cannabis bars) in Ukiah. This will lead to increased auto accidents with injuries and death from cannabis impaired drivers.

As one of twenty-five physicians, I presented each Council Member detailed information from recent scientific studies and expert opinion that any cannabis consumption, indoors or outdoors, impairs driving for at least 4 hours.

So, all cannabis consumption site consumers will be driver impaired.

Unlike alcohol onsite detection for cannabis impaired driving is not possible. And, designated drivers for all cannabis consumers is wishful thinking. From alcohol DUIs in California, we know the tragic numbers of injuries and deaths from alcohol impaired drivers.

California as yet doesn’t have a State Approved blood cannabis level for cannabis DUIs. So, we don’t know the exact numbers of injuries and deaths from cannabis impaired drivers. We shouldn’t add to it by passing this ordinance.

At their final meeting, the City Council should not make the tragic permitting mistake some California cities and counties have made.

Rather Ukiah should stick with the majority of California cities and counties banning cannabis bars, placing concern for the safety of its citizens above economic profit.

Dr. Robert Werra

Ukiah

RESURRECTED: ‘JIM CROW’ 

Editor, 

For many years after the civil rights marches, with LBJ’s support, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act, it seemed as if “Jim Crow” had been defeated or simply become outmoded everywhere in our wonderful country. They elected Donald Trump and resurrected racism (“House expels 2 over gun protest). The last two weeks in Nashville have proven he (Jim Crow, that it) is very much alive and well in Tennessee. 

My family was white, well-educated and had Midwest roots. I knew that I didn’t want to remain in the deep South. In 1960 I graduated from a Florida high school; enrolled at Davidson College, Davidson, NC (Located about 21 miles north of Charlotte, North Carolina). The US media still seemed unaware of the civil rights movement. Four years later I graduated thinking I’d study medicine, but at Tulane Univ. my aim changed. I became a high school teacher. Teaching is far harder than learning. 

In June, 1967 I got a California job teaching. I was overjoyed to have better pay, supportive administrators, good fellow teachers. I met a wonderful, beautiful California young lady. We got married. A son came along but Medgar Evers and Rev. Dr. King were assassinated. 

Frank Baumgardner 

Santa Rosa 

FLEA-BITTEN

AVA,

About a month ago a letter was published in the AVA by an inmate named Patrick Redmill aka “aunt Fester.” He spoke extremly poorly about me, my family and friends. Normally, I would have responded with a scorching rebuttal.

But not this time! Sorry Aunt Fester, but I can not spare the energy requried to feed your unquenchable thirst for hate. But what I can spare is a little empathy for you and your continued suffering. I hope you one day find the help you need.

I apologize to my family and friends. I am embarrassed and ashamed rto have sunk to the depths of yuck required to have a person like Redmill know my name. I continue to dedicate every day to my improvement and well-being so that I never sink to such depths again. 

Redmill’s letter was a necessary evil in that it revealed a mentality and sickness that has permeated our commuinty for far too long. 

Keep the ones you love close to you. Make good choices and remember if you lay with dogs you will get fleas.

Rise above!

With love,

Alan Sonny Crow

Vacaville