Mendocino County Today: Friday, May 19, 2023

Sunny | Coast Edge | AV Housing | Covelo Banknote | County Notes | Coach Toohey | Grocery Outlet | Ed Notes | Seabiscuit Barn | Open Studios | Detective Giusti | 1923 Postmark | First 5 | Yesterday's Catch | Bellybutton Ring | Prison Biz | Hell Handbaskets | County Jail | Tip Time | Flora Grape | 1992 Musicians | Shooting Investigation | Facebook Addiction | Kennedy/Kucinich | Populist Factions | Mad Dog | Syria Sanctions | Liberty

A WEAK HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM in the Northeast Pacific continues to affect Northwest California. Northerly winds are expected with dry conditions. Seasonal temperatures are forecast at the coast and slightly above average temperatures for inland areas. (NWS)

CREATIVE HOUSING ARRANGEMENTS IN ANDERSON VALLEY

This Sunday, May 21st, 4-5:30pm, Anderson Valley Senior Center

Join us for a look at the various housing situations in the valley with a panel of representatives from intentional living communities (like Cheesecake and Mendo Dragons) and nonprofit groups that work on housing solutions in the valley (the Elder Home and the Housing Association). These groups will briefly share their experiences, with time for questions at the end. 

Refreshments served and Door Prize

Please Note: Our gatherings are open to everyone, but COVID Vaccinations are now REQUIRED - please bring your vaccination card (one time) as proof. Masks optional - thank you in advance for your understanding. 

Please RSVP with the coordinator – thank you!

COUNTY NOTES

ACCORDING TO A REVISED SPREADSHEET in next Tuesday’s Board Meeting Agenda packet, the General Fund “carryforward” from last Fiscal Year (July 2021 to June 2022) is now estimated to be about $3.6 million. On the revenue side, an attached breakdown says that there’s almost $900k in “under realized property tax revenue.” But compensating for that is almost $2.1 million in “Addn'l Cannabis Business Tax Revenue (over revised budget),” “Addn'l Transit Occupancy Tax Revenue,” “Addn'l Penalty & Cost on Delinquent Tax Revenue,” “Addn'l BU 1000 Revenue ‐ Interest,” and, “Addn'l BU 1000 Revenue ‐ Various Sources Net.”

Ten Departments underran their budgets by at least $200k for a total net plus carryforward (underrun) of about $4.5 million. 

Five Departments were over their budgets by a total of about $2.9 million. 

And the remaining budget units (unlisted) were underbudget by almost $700k.

Nowhere in the rundown is there any explanation for the under or over amounts.

This latest calculation looks very much like the one submitted last month, It does not look like it came out of the County’s infamous “munis” financial software, but from internal Auditor-Controller data. 

The question now is, what will the Board do with the $3.6 million carryover? Will they even accept it? It’s been due for months and they now have very little time left to prepare next year’s (July 2023 to June 2024) budget using this carryforward amount and perhaps some of the newly reported $28 million General Fund reserve which, so far, as big as it is, has not been mentioned in any budget discussions. 

Also, will next year’s carryover calcuation take as long as last year’s? One would hope not.

One of the overbudget departments is the Sheriff at almost $700k over, most of which is overtime and coroner costs. Another overbudget “department” is the difficult to follow Teeter Plan (presumably more money has been paid out to Schools and Special Districts than has been received in taxes, penalties and interest although the carryforward chart shows an increase — to a properly functioning board the Teeter Plan complexities are a subject that needs serious analysis. The biggest overbudget “department” amount is something called “Social Services Admin” at almost $1.6 million with a note that says, “One‐time buyout of MOE [maintenance of effort] — unknown if this can continue.” Although this is not a new number or (cryptic) explanation, no Supervisors have asked any questions about how this happened or “if this can continue.” 

Instead, they’ve spent most of their budget meetings this spring trying to blame the Auditor for the delays in the carryforward calculation. 

Now that they have it, albeit late, will they start dealing with the obvious questions that the Board itself has failed to address for months now? Or will they just punt like they usually do, and hand over everything to CEO Darcie Antle, then point fingers anew next year. 

* * *

MENDO CANNABIS DEPARTMENT (MCD) PERMIT APPLICATION STATUS (MAY 2023)

(from Mendo’s General Government Committee meeting package for next Tuesday)

Active commercial cannabis cultivation permit applications that are in one of the following stages of review: 

Applications received, pending review: 465
Active Review: 165
Non-responsive or inadequate material: 85 

Total: 715 

Environmental Review 

In order for applicants to receive a DCC [State Department of Cannabis Control] annual license, an environmental review is required. The current pathway is the Appendix G checklist. 

Total Appendix G Checklist Status
Appendix G Checklists reviews pending: 39
Appendix G Checklist reviews completed: 7
Appendix G’s will be reviewed along with the provisional license expiration. 

In an effort to streamline the permit review and environmental review processes, the County is working with the DCC to develop more streamlined processes. In that effort, DCC has tentatively agreed to develop a process where it will perform site-specific environmental reviews as part of its licensing process, removing an administrative burden that has historically been borne by the County. The initial plan is for DCC to utilize a programmatic environmental impact report (“EIR”) to study state licensing of cannabis cultivation in Mendocino County. This EIR can then be used as the basis to generate site-specific environmental documents for individual license applications and provide a pathway to annual licensure. 

This would eliminate the need for Appendix G checklists to be prepared in the future. However, until that streamlined process is in place, MCD will continue to move forward with Appendix G checklist reviews prior to the completion of the EIR. 

TTC Payment Plan 

Per revisions recently adopted to Mendocino County Cannabis Business Tax, Chapter 6.32, Section 6.32.100, effective April 28, 2023, qualified cultivators will be allowed to participate in a limited amnesty program whereas persons who failed or refused to pay any commercial cannabis business tax required to be paid pursuant to this Chapter for cannabis cultivation or for a nursery business for tax years 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 may pay the full amount owed for that year and be waived of any penalties and interest for that year or those years effective April 28, 2023 through June 30, 2024. 

(ms notes: No statistics on the number of permit holders participating in this payment plan/amnesty so far.)

MCD Efficiency Study 

Review Timelines 

In March of 2023, MCD implemented time tracking metrics to study planner time spent reviewing applications. Based on the initial review of the data being collected, MCD determined it is highly likely that the average time spent will be significantly less than the previous MCD estimate of 200 hours per review. MCD had projected a need for twenty-seven (27) planners to be able to complete reviews described in the tracking chart that was presented in both February 2023 and March 2023’s monthly reports. As of May 2023 there are six Cannabis Department Planners and 15 Contract Planners. 

Review Time: Approximately 16 to 80 Hours.

These are very premature results of the initial MCD study. The time spent reviewing applications is calculated by having planners log the time spent completing actions associated with the review. For example, a 20-minute phone call is recorded as 20 minutes. This style of time accounting does NOT consider the time in between tasks, down time, applicant response time, etc. A 16-hour review will NOT happen in two 8-hour workdays. This is a purely time-spent snapshot. 

The 16-hour review would represent the most ideal circumstances. Ideal circumstances may include a highly prepared applicant, new development, no environmental impacts, etc. 

The 80-hour review would represent a more complex review that may include a remote location increasing site inspection times, existing development, environmental considerations, remediation or compliance objectives, etc. 

MCD Staffing Levels 

Chief Planner, Senior Planner, Cartographer, Planner I/II (x6) 

Vacant: Planner I/II (x4) 

Admin: Department Head (Interim), Senior Program Manager, Office Services Supervisor, Administrative Assistant. 

Vacant: Program Administrator, Department Analyst I/II, Administrative Assistant, Staff Assistant I/II/III 

Current Recruitments: Program Administrator.

COACH TOOHEY WANTS YOU!

GROCERY OUTLET UPDATE (5/18/23)

The Fort Bragg City Council will be holding a special one-item  meeting on Monday June 5th to address the proposed Grocery Outlet. Be advised that this special meeting will start at 5 pm at Town Hall in Fort Bragg.  The Planning Commission is recommending to the Council that the proposed Grocery Outlet Environmental Impact Report be certified after a lengthy hearing on the matter May 10th.

Mayor Norvell will be recusing himself due to a conflict of interest for owning property nearby the proposed site, which is at the old Mendo. Co. Social Services building on South Franklin Street.  Therefore only 4 sitting Council members will be voting on whether it moves forward or not. A 2-2 tie on the EIR certification would effectively be a "no" vote.

Please attend in person or via zoom if you want your voice heard on this important matter.

Councilman Lindy Peters

ED NOTES

33 YEARS FOR A BUM FIGHT?

Defendant Timmy Kent Cooper, age 61, formerly of Ukiah, was sentenced Friday morning in the Mendocino County Superior Court to 33 years to life in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

As previously reported, a Mendocino County Superior Court jury found Cooper guilty of felony assault with a deadly weapon and personally inflicting great bodily injury by breaking the victim’s arm, said verdicts being returned in February following deliberations that lasted less than a half an hour.

In a bifurcated evidentiary hearing conducted after the jury was excused, the District Attorney proved with certified court documents that Cooper has suffered four prior Strike convictions.

Those prior Strike convictions are for residential burglary, two counts of robbery in Los Angeles County, and a bank robbery using a deadly weapon in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

A Strike conviction is defined by current California law as either a serious prior felony conviction, as listed in Penal Code section 1192.7(c), or a violent prior felony conviction, as listed in Penal Code section 667.5(c).

Of the defendant’s prior Strike convictions noted above, three are characterized by California law as violent and one is characterized as serious. The most recent Mendocino County conviction is also characterized by law as violent.

The law enforcement agencies that gathered the People’s trial evidence and provided trial support were the Ukiah Police Department and the District Attorney’s own Bureau of Investigations.

The prosecutor who represented the People’s interests at today’s sentencing hearing was Assistant District Attorney Dale P. Trigg.

The defendant, his attorney, and ADA Trigg appeared before Mendocino County Superior Court Judge Keith Faulder Friday morning to present arguments regarding applicable law and the appropriate sentence for this defendant, given the instant crime and his background of felonious recidivism.

ED NOTE: Who defended this guy? The jury was out for a half hour? 33 years for a bum fight? Broke the other guy's arm? Yes, he's got priors, but he's 61 and will die in prison for a misdemeanor.

MORE AMERICANS are struggling to make ends meet NOW than in the aftermath of the pandemic — new survey shows nearly 40% of US households can't pay expenses.

The revelation comes from the Census Bureau's latest survey, which shows some 38.5% of adults, or 89.1 million people, experienced difficulty paying bills this month.

Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna has introduced a resolution to expel California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff from the House following the release of the Durham report, calling him a “dishonor” to the chamber.

The Trump loyalist, who also earned backing from Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Donald Trump Jr. in 2021, filed her resolution on a day the House voted to refer to the Ethics Committee a Democratic motion to expel Rep. George Santos (D-N.Y.), who faces federal corruption and campaign finance charges in New York. 

The move comes after Schiff denounced the Durham report as a “wasted effort,” as it was revealed that the report digs into an incident where a university researcher who met with Schiff's own staff felt threatened by a request to provide analysis of a news article about the Trump Organization and Russia-owned Alfa Bank. 

A SILENT COUP

Michael Koepf writes: 

According to SnapGPT, Mark Scaramella was he founder of your paper! 

SnapGPT: “Bruce Anderson is an American journalist and the editor of the Anderson Valley Advertiser (AVA), a weekly newspaper based in Boonville, California. The Anderson Valley Advertiser is known for its alternative and investigative reporting, covering local news, politics, and social issues in Mendocino County and the surrounding areas.

Bruce Anderson has been the editor and publisher of the Anderson Valley Advertiser since 1984 when he took over the publication from its founder, Mark Scaramella. Under Anderson's leadership, the AVA has gained a reputation for its outspoken and often controversial editorials and its coverage of local government and environmental issues.

It's worth noting that my knowledge cutoff is in September 2021, so there may have been developments or changes since then.”

ESTHER MOBLEY:

Here’s what’s come across my desk recently:

Booze suddenly wants to be “juicy,” writes Kate Bernot in the Washington Post. This descriptor first gained traction within craft beer, where juicy IPAs are booming, and has also become a sought-after quality in wine and hard seltzer. The next frontier, apparently: adding booze to actual juice. (This was the first I’d heard of SunnyD Vodka Seltzer.)

Dogs sell wine, apparently. According to Emily Saladino in Wine Enthusiast, wine brands have found a lot of success by using their resident canines to boost their social media presence. One winery representative tells Saladino that dog-related Instagram posts get 3-4% more interactions than non-dog posts.

I enjoyed this profile of Haliotide Wines by R.H. Drexel in the Wine Independent. The San Luis Obispo sparkling wine producer (which I have also profiled) is making beautiful wines from coastal California vineyards.

ARTISTS OF ANDERSON VALLEY OPEN STUDIOS TOUR

Memorial Day Weekend, May 27 - 29, 2023

by Marvin Schenck

Spring has sprung, the skies are blue, the weather warm, and for the first time in three years the free Anderson Valley Open Studios tour event has returned to the Memorial Day Weekend, Saturday – Monday, 11 am to 5 pm. So why not plan a day trip exploring the art and studios of some of Anderson Valley’s best artists while taking in the pleasing pastoral scenery of vinyards, pastures, orchards, and redwoods in our special valley. 

This year sixteen artists are represented at ten studios from Boonville to Navarro. Just about every art or craft media is represented, from painting, photography, collage, and printmaking to jewelry, ceramics, textile cordage, furniture, and boat building. Coming from the south on Hwy. 128, or the east on Hwy. 253, start by exploring the Boonville locations on Ornbaun Road and Anderson Valley Way. Then procede along Hwy. 128 to the north of Philo and finally on to Navarro. If coming from the coast on Hwy. 128 simply reverse the order. Our colorful orange and blue A-frame signs along the highway will guide the way. Visit our website, artistsofandersonvalley.org, for a tour map and to learn more about the artists. Additional maps available at the artist’s studios and some galleries, wineries, and museums.

The artists and studio locations featured this year in Boonville on Ornbaum Road are: (1) Kate McEwen, printmaking, (2) Martha Crawford, mixed media collage, (3) Jack Schumacher, Shaker furniture maker and boat builder, (4) Candida Sanlorenzo, woodworker. North on Anderson Valley Way are: (5) Jan Dawson, photography and painting, (6) Antoinette von Grone, painting and photography, and (7) Saoirse Byrne, cordage textile. In the Philo - Navarro area the artists and studio locations are: (8) Wax & Bing, (Jan Wax & Chris Bing), clay and porcelain pottery, (9) Beat Gallery (Michael Wilson & Susan Spencer), assemblage, painting and collage. Both studios are on Holmes Ranch Road. Across Hwy. 128 on Clark Road, sharing one studio are: (10) Marvin Schenck, painting, printmaking, and collage, (11) Colleen Schenck, jewelry and collage, and (12) Nadia Berrigan, photography and painting. Further north on Hwy. 128 is (13) Doug Johnson’s Pepperwood Pottery, ceramics. Finally, continue Northwest to Flynn Creek Rd. and signage to (14) Rachel Lahn, abstract relief constructions.

For the artists, opening their studios is an opportunity to showcase their creativity and share the studio spaces lovingly developed to foster their creation of art. Hopefully, you will take some of that creative energy home with special new treasures found on the journey.

THEY FREED THEIR SLAVES!

Editor,

Some alleged journalists seem to know the true exact history of the life of American General Braxton Bragg. Okay then, can you tell us his exact date of birth and place of birth and place of burial? Also a summary of his career at West Point and his long service to the United States in Texas? I doubt if even Lt. Gibson who named Fort Bragg could even recite all that. Sometimes I wonder if Bragg just arrived in a UFO, kicked around West Point and Texas, then after the Civil War got back in the UFO and disappeared.

Of course as stated before I did meet one day a passel of General Bragg's great grandkids in Fort Bragg. They looked like nice college kids -- no southern drawl. But could they too have been visiting extra terrestrials? They did kinda show up out of the blue and then vanished! I should have quizzed them more about it. But in those days I was in my early 20s. I was too busy either hustling drinks, women, or a basketball and poker game. We even had our own sauna bath house up on Cedar Creek just east of the old Clyde Gibney's Eastside Market.

I also challenge the slanderous journalist always writing "doodoo" about Bragg to let all us AVA readers know where this fairy tale plantation was that uncle Braxton was supposed to have practiced brutal slavemastery? At least five US towns named for him?

As far as other "Confederate hierarchy" goes, do any readers know the true stories of Robert E. Lee and the Confederate states of America President Jefferson Davis and how they freed slaves?

To begin with neither one actually own slaves! General Lee on leave from his tenure as a West Point professor returned home at his father's death to find he had been left the "guardian" of ex-number of Negro people. He promptly found jobs and "apartments" for all and signed their freedom papers!

As for President Davis, he did own a farm in Mississippi when he wasn't busy in Washington DC as a US Senator and later secretary of defense. (He was called secretary of war in the president's cabinet back then.) But there's no record of his ever owning slaves. His wife did inherit slaves during their marriage but Jefferson promptly ordered her to free them stating, "Slavery is too much trouble."

As for my great granddad James Hudson, he was half Crow, half Scottish born in Jefferson City, Virginia. He was a homeboy of Bob Lee and President Tom Jefferson's great kids who joined the Confederate states of America Navy and possibly even met General Bragg during the Civil War. My granddaddy never owned slaves and around 1865 he "discovered" Reno, Nevada. That's why he named the main drag of that city Virginia Avenue. (More on that in my next story.)

Maybe there's something alien in the Bragg name. That false accuser (akin to District Attorney Eyster) Alvin Bragg even looks a bit like an alien.

As for President Trump's indictment: I have to ask what crime? I've noticed in my life that rich people don't get rich and stay rich by giving money away. But alleged multimillionaire Trump gave this Stormy sleazebag $125,000! If he did give it to her she sure didn't keep the "deal"! But Stormy and now Alvin Faulderbottom Bragg are going to make millions on notoriety!

If President Trump is elected again he has the constitutional power to pardon himself! And he will win. Make no mistake about it. So Alvin Bragg will then have wasted millions of tax dollars on a noncriminal Fantasy Island of a case.

Why aren't New Yorkers up in arms about paying through the teeth just to prove President Trump is an honest patriotic American? He kept us out of war (Putin and "Mr. North Korea" are scared shiftless of Donald.) President Trump also got us several more allies controlling the Straits of Gibraltar. That means we now control the passageway in and out of the Mediterranean Sea! Also I wouldn't have my TV now if Trump hadn't sent all of us homeless people stimulus money! He also lived up to his campaign promise to build us a "Great Wall" to separate us from the illegal Mexicans. But what was the "Grey Ghost" Biden promising? He promised to abolish the death penalty. That hasn't happened so that makes your goofy Democrat president not only a real donkey but so far a documented liar! Do we really need liars and false accusers in government office? Duh.

Kudos to Bruce Anderson for publishing my last "Braxton report."

Sincerely,

Detective David Youngcault Crow Secret Agent Exodus 2016 thou shalt not bear all witness against thy neighbor Giusti

California Mens Colony East

San Luis Obispo

PS. Written partially in memory of Jerry "The Boss" Philbrick. It has been acknowledged that Donald Trump, like me, has a great dislike of bullies. Praise the lord!

PPS. Also I was born on Laurel Street across from the old Mendoza Market in old Fort Bragg. Mr. Mendoza was a very nice man, my first babysitter, who might have been an extraterrestrial also because one day he just disappeared! At one time he owned that whole block and I still wonder who haunts the "Mendoza House" on Franklin Street? Anyway, hopefully Fort Bragg puts the township name to a vote and the title "Mendoza Beach" will be on the ballot. I already stated Noyo Village is already "theoretically" on the map and can't be used. Truthfully however, like the tiny country of Monaco, I would really love to see Mendoland secede from the Union and become its own sovereign country. I believe if one reads the original ancient California law there is a precedent for the "California territory" to be divided five ways along the 14th longitude parallel etc. Texas has the same provision. Both these great states along with Montana (a Canadian provision) have a similar design politically as the "Republic of Quebec. My other granddad, "Growler" Saunders and Pamela Anderson and both were born in Quebec City.

FIRST 5 MENDOCINO HOSTS SUCCESSFUL CHILDREN'S MENTAL HEALTH SUMMIT

As part of its ongoing work to support the well-being of local children, First 5 Mendocino hosted its annual Children's Mental Health Summit in Ukiah on May 11 and 12. This year’s event featured renowned experts Dr. Tina Bryson, Dr. Robert Sege, and Gaelin Elmore, who addressed the critical topic of children's mental health and included a community-wide conversation on nurturing resilient and emotionally healthy children.

The first five years of a child’s life determine their baseline ability to cope with stress, how well they can focus their attention, regulate their emotions, plan for the future, and have empathy for others. When children are raised in a well-resourced family and community, these early experiences interact with genetics to provide the best opportunity for them to thrive, first in school and then in life.

The Children's Mental Health Summit, a collaborative effort among First 5 Mendocino and its partners, aimed to create a platform for professionals, parents, educators, and caregivers to gain valuable insights into promoting positive mental health in children and building strong foundations for their future well-being.

Dr. Tina Bryson, acclaimed child psychologist and co-author of the bestselling books *The Power of Showing Up* and *The Whole-Brain Child*, shared her expertise on brain development, attachment, and the integration of neuroscience and psychology. Her engaging presentation provided attendees with practical strategies to help children regulate emotions, manage stress, and foster healthy relationships. According to First 5 Mendocino’s Community Education Manager Megan Carson, Dr. Bryson’s approach was grounded in refreshing humility with encouraging reminders that our children do not need perfection, they simply need us to be emotionally present. Dr. Bryson suggested that adults can show up in meaningful ways using the “4 S’s” of secure attachment to help children feel safe, seen, soothed, and secure.

Gaelin Elmore, a passionate advocate for children's mental health and a survivor of childhood trauma, shared his personal journey and highlighted the significance of empathy, support, and resilience in healing and recovery. His inspiring message on belonging resonated with attendees, emphasizing the power of community in uplifting young lives. He reminded attendees that each of them — and all adults who interact with children — can make a profound difference in children’s lives in small but significant connections, “the simple ways we show up.”

Dr. Robert Sege, renowned pediatrician and expert on children's health and well-being, delivered a compelling talk on Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences (HOPE), and the powerful impact of positive childhood experiences (PCEs). PCEs can greatly improve overall mental health of children, even those who have experienced many adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Dr. Sege emphasized the importance of resilience-informed care and providing children with early positive experiences in life to mitigate the effects of adverse experiences.

The event catered to a diverse range of participants, including mental health professionals, educators, community leaders, parents, and social workers. Through interactive workshops, panel discussions, and networking opportunities, attendees gained a deeper understanding of children's mental health issues and acquired practical tools to better support the children in their care.

"We are thrilled with the overwhelming response to our summit," said Townley Saye, Executive Director of First 5 Mendocino. "The expertise shared by Dr. Bryson, Dr. Sege, and Gaelin Elmore has been invaluable, and we believe this summit will serve as a catalyst for positive change in our community. We hope that the knowledge gained and the connections made during this event will lead to better outcomes for all children in Mendocino County."

First 5 Mendocino extends its gratitude to the Ukiah Valley Conference Center, who hosted the event, Kristin Gilmore of Potter Valley Cafe Catering, who provided the catering, Holiday Express, who provided accommodations for our presenters and guests from out of town, community partners, and all participants who contributed to the success of the Children's Mental Health Summit. First 5 Mendocino remains committed to advocating for the well-being of children and plans to continue to host informative events that empower individuals and communities.

For more information about First 5 Mendocino and its upcoming initiatives, please visit www.first5mendocino.org.

CATCH OF THE DAY, Thursday, May 18, 2023

SKYLER DAUSMAN, Ukiah. Assault with firearm, offenses while on bail.

TAWANA HENRY, Ukiah. Camping in Ukiah, storing camping paraphernalia, disobeying court order. 

STEVEN LAWSON, Ukiah. Controlled substance, paraphernalia, stolen property.

MIGUEL MARIN, Ukiah. County parole violation.

ISMAEL MARTINEZ, Fort Bragg. Failure to appear.

JASON PITT, Fort Bragg. Disorderly conduct-alcohol, failure to register.

MIGUEL PLASCENCIA-BARAJAS, Ukiah. DUI, fourth or subsequent conviction within ten years, suspended license, probation violation.

CHARLES RICHARDS, Ukiah. Suspended license, failure to appear.

CALIFORNIA BUDGET & PRISON CLOSURES

Dear Editor:

Gov. Gavin Newsom's overall Department of Corrections budget grows even though he is closing ten prisons.

Newsom's state budget is topping $297 billion for 2023-24, and that includes $14.5 billion for the prison system.

The state had closed down the prison there in Tracy in 2021 and has ordered the closures of several others including Chuckawalla State Prison in Riverside County, the Correctional Center in Lassen County.

The governor is also thinking about some partial closings at Folsom's Women Facility, Pelican Bay, California Men's Colony, California Rehabilitation Center, California Institution for Men, and California Correctional Institution in Kern County.

It has been reported that the closing of these five institutions will save the California taxpayers $1.5 billion dollars a year. Notwithstanding, the closing of these prisons and the deflating of the prison populations — which is to fall to 87,295 by 2025 — will not affect the amount the prison system receives for their part of the budget.

In other words the prison population is falling but the Department of Corrections is still going to get their cut of $14.5 billion for doing nothing?

This should give you the voting public an idea of just how bad the Department of Corrections is getting over on you. In fact, the California Correctional Peace Officers Association (CCPOA), the union of these correctional cops, refuses to give in on this issue. They are of the opinion they are entitled to this money.

The prisons that are closed should be torn down. I am sure many of us incarcerated laborers would be more than willing to work for our “slave wages” to help with this project. Otherwise another Republican Governor will come along someday and will reopen them. It’s just the way it works.

We are in a state with 34 prisons. It makes no sense; crime is not a business. Keeping people locked in cages for the rest of their lives is nothing more than cruel and unusual punishment. We as a people should put a stop to it. If we don’t, no one will.

Sincerely,

Charles V. Statler

Soledad

TWO DECADES OF PRISON Did Not Prepare Me for the Horrors of County Jail

by Christopher Blackwell

When I was 22 years old, I committed robbery and murder. I pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 45 years, of which I have so far served two decades. During that time, I’ve experienced the squalor and dangerous conditions of various state prisons. I’ve lived in a crumbling penitentiary built in the 1800s. I’ve been put in isolation for weeks on end because of Covid exposure and infection. Still, I was not prepared for what I found when I was transferred to a county jail for two weeks last December.

Along with people serving short sentences for relatively minor offenses, jails house people who are awaiting trial and either didn’t get bail or simply couldn’t pay it — people, that is, who have not been convicted of any crime.

Despite that fact, conditions in these facilities are often worse, and sometimes much worse, than those in the prisons where people who are convicted of the worst crimes are confined. Jails throw people together in overcrowded units that may be controlled by the most violent people in the room. Like prisons, jails house a disproportionate number of people experiencing addiction or chronic health conditions but jails lack the resources to treat them and adequate staffing overall. Udi Ofer, a professor at Princeton University who focuses on policing and criminal justice reform, told me that jails “regularly rely on even harsher conditions of confinement” than prisons do.

As a prison writer, journalist and criminal justice activist, I try to communicate to anyone who will listen that the vast majority of incarcerated people will eventually return to their communities. The trauma they suffer on the inside comes with them. Just as a very short time in solitary confinement can cause lasting harm, weeks or months in county jail can have a huge negative impact on people’s lives, even after they are released. What happens in jails doesn’t stay in jails.

Ethan Frenchman, a lawyer in Washington who advocates on behalf of people with disabilities in jails, told me that while the nation’s roughly 1,500 state prisons are operated or overseen by 50 states, the 3,000 or so jails “are operated by who knows how many hundreds or thousands of different jurisdictions,” making it extremely hard to get reliable information about what goes on there, or to enforce any kind of accountability.

One data point is unmistakable: suicide rates. Suicides are the leading cause of death in jails, where they occur at a much higher rate than in prisons. Big city jails, like the complex on Rikers Island, are infamous for violence, neglect and overcrowding, but they are not outliers. In fact, research by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics has found that suicide rates in the nation’s smallest jails were more than six times as high as those in the largest.

During my recent trip to Pierce County Jail in Tacoma, Wash., where I was sent to await a resentencing hearing that was ultimately delayed, I shared a cell with William Starkovich, a 35-year-old who had never been incarcerated before. He is awaiting trial in Pierce County Jail after an altercation with his siblings over rent money ended in two charges of assault in the first degree.

Mr. Starkovich, who gave me permission to tell his story, has received diagnoses of A.D.H.D., manic depressive disorder, bipolar disorder and autism spectrum disorder. Since his mental illness can affect his ability to maintain his physical hygiene, he is often a target of ridicule and aggression from other prisoners. He has been assaulted by other prisoners and guards alike. Mr. Starkovich told me that guards insisted on transferring him into an open dorm living unit where he didn’t feel safe. When he would not step into the unit, a “code blue” was called, meaning that a prisoner was defying an order. An officer wrestled Mr. Starkovich to the ground, used a Taser on him and handcuffed him.

Reports from jails across the country, from Rikers in New York to Santa Clara County’s Main Jail complex, in San Jose, Calif., have shown that mentally ill people are frequently mistreated. Families have filed lawsuits alleging that corrections officers have severely beaten mentally ill people, or let them starve or freeze to death. A 2014 internal investigation at Rikers found that almost 80 percent of the more than 100 prisoners who sustained serious injuries during altercations with corrections officers in 11 months were mentally ill.

Conditions in county jails are bad not just for people suffering from mental illnesses. Prisoners there are often given so little food that they are hungry all the time and must buy more in the commissary. My meals in prison consist of larger portions and far more fruits and vegetables than my meals in jail. To my surprise, I even found myself missing the flavors and variety of prison food. A prisoner in Maine summed up a typical meal in a county jail well when he asked a reporter to “consider eating ground-up gym mat with a little bit of seasoning.” But jail commissaries are so expensive that many people who can’t afford bail also can’t afford anything sold in them. In jail, I saw people beat each other up over commissary food.

Twenty-four packets of Top Ramen noodles that cost $6 on Amazon and just under $8 in my Washington State prison cost $26.40 in the Pierce County Jail’s commissary while I was incarcerated there. A small bag of freeze-dried coffee that costs $3.34 in state prison costs almost $13 in the county jail.

Phone calls to our loved ones, which cost just over a dollar for 20 minutes at a Washington State prison, cost nearly $4 from the county jail. An investigation by the Prison Policy Initiative found that in 20 states, phone calls from jails were at least three times as expensive as calls from state prisons. The calls I made from state prison and the county jail are managed by the same company, Securus Technologies, and I see no legitimate reason they should be three times as expensive at one facility.

And not only the day-to-day living conditions are hard. In state and federal prisons across the country, people have access to positive programming to help them better themselves, educate themselves and take responsibility for the crimes they’ve committed. I’ve worked for years in prison to earn an associate degree from Seattle Central College, and I am five classes shy of a bachelor’s degree in English and sociology. I have also co-founded a nonprofit, received training in restorative justice practices and worked as a restorative justice facilitator.

None of that changes the fact that I took another person’s life. I will live with profound regret about that for the rest of mine. However, one day I will return home. Thanks to the positive programs I have been able to participate in, the person who walks out of the prison gates will bear little resemblance to the person who entered them. Many people in prisons are trying to better themselves. For the most part, people in jail are just trying to survive.

We have to care about what’s happening in county jails if we are to make our communities safer. Eliminating cash bail, which puts people behind bars simply because they don’t have enough cash on hand, would drastically reduce the number of people in county jails. It would also make jails more humane environments for those who need to be detained for legitimate public safety concerns while they work their way through the court system. And research in states and cities across the country has found that eliminating or curtailing the use of cash bail does not have a negative effect on public safety.

Price restrictions that keep private companies from gouging prisoners and their loved ones could help those incarcerated in county jails get the food they need without resorting to violence. With positive changes, people confined in county jails could come out of their stays better equipped to thrive in their communities.

I may be in prison for decades to come, but Mr. Starkovich, like many men I met in county jail, could be released in the coming weeks. He will carry the memory of hunger, violence and fear with him.

(nytimes.com)

THE MYSTERIOUS STORY BEHIND ONE OF NAPA’S QUIRKIEST WINES 

by Esther Mobley

Schramsberg Vineyards makes some of my favorite sparkling wines in California, mostly from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay — the standard Champagne grapes. But every time I’ve visited the Calistoga winery, I’ve been struck by a curious detail on its vineyard maps, noting the winery’s use of a third grape variety that I’d never heard of: Flora.

After years of making mental notes to figure out what the heck Flora actually is and why Schramsberg is making sparkling wine from it, I finally got to the bottom of it. 

Flora was one of many brand-new grape varieties bred at UC Davis in the mid-20th century by one of its legendary viticultural professors, Harold Olmo. To create Flora, Olmo crossed two European grapes, Semillon (a white grape found mainly in Bordeaux) and Gewurztraminer (a white grape found mainly in Alsace). Like many other genetic crossings, Flora was intended to inherit desirable traits from each of its parents — in its case, the honey-like notes of Semillon and the intensely floral aromas of Gewurztraminer.

To Schramsberg founders Jack and Jamie Davies, those characteristics looked ideal for sparkling dessert wine. “They wanted to have a unique California expression,” said their son Hugh Davies. 

They found some Flora planted in Yountville, at the Yount Mill Vineyard, which today appears to be the only Flora grower in all of California. According to Kendall Hoxsey-Onysko, whose family has owned Yount Mill since 1903, Flora was planted there soon after Olmo released his new creation in 1958. The first winery to buy the fruit was Charles Krug. Then Hoxsey-Onysko’s grandfather entered into a “handshake deal” with the Davies, who have remained the vineyard’s biggest Flora client — they’ve used it for their dessert wine, Cremant Demi-Sec, since 1972.

“My grandfather called it ‘pinkies,’” said Hoxsey-Onysko, because of the grape’s pinkish color. (Gewurztraminer grapes turn pink as they ripen on the vine.) “The longer you let it hang, the more Gewurztraminer flavor will be there.” That grape is famous for smelling like perfume and tasting like lychee.

It’s remarkable that in Yountville, prime Cabernet Sauvignon country, a grape this obscure has endured for more than a half-century. Hoxsey-Onysko’s family could undoubtedly improve their profit per acre by ripping out the Flora and planting expensive reds. But, improbably, there is a quiet demand for the grape. Schramsberg isn’t the only winery buying the fruit: Matthiasson Wines buys some of the Yount Mill Flora to make vermouth, while ZD Wines blends some into a rosé, according to Hoxsey-Onysko. She also makes it into a straightforward white wine for her own label, Elizabeth Rose.

Taste the Schramsberg Cremant Demi-Sec, and you’ll get a sense of what Flora can do. Aromatically, it’s not quite as over-the-top as Gewurztraminer, but traces of that grape’s typical lychee and honeysuckle notes are present. It summons thoughts of baking spices — allspice, cinnamon — and citrusy desserts, like lemon souffle and creamsicle. The Schramsberg Cremant is fruity, bold and far less restrained than what you might expect from sparkling made from Pinot Noir or Chardonnay. I opened a bottle of the 2013 Cremant Demi-Sec recently and loved the toasted-brioche flavor it had developed.

This wine makes up just 2% of Schramsberg’s total production, said Hugh Davies, a reflection of how unpopular dessert wines have become. Nevertheless, the Cremant Demi-Sec does have a small, devoted following among some longtime wine club members. Apart from its heightened level of sweetness, it is made differently from other Schramsberg bubblies: The base wine undergoes full malolactic fermentation, which turns a tart, brisk wine into a creamier one, and it has a softer bead — about a third less effervescence than wines like Schramsberg’s Blanc de Blancs.

“It’s ageworthy too,” said Davies. “I have no issue breaking out 30-year-old bottles of Cremant Demi-Sec. The fruit will be a little more caramelized. There’s a certain nuttiness and richness that develops over the course of time.”

Schramsberg remains so committed to this wine, and by extension to the Flora grape, that it’s preparing to plant two additional acres of Flora at one of its own vineyards in Carneros to supplement the Flora it buys from Yount Mill.

Sparkling dessert wines, and any wine made from the Flora grape, may never become Napa Valley blockbusters. But I’m glad they exist.

“Plenty of other wineries make Chardonnay and Pinot Noir-based sparkling wines,” said Davies. “This is something that we do that nobody else does.”

FAMILIES OF MEN SHOT BY CALIFORNIA COPS Lose Faith In New Accountability Law As Reviews Drag On

by Nigel Duara

Three men in dark suits knocked on Pam Holland’s door one night last June. They told her that her son was dead, shot to death in a neighboring county by a sheriff’s deputy. The shooting, they said, was being investigated under a new California law that requires the state Justice Department step in when a police officer kills an unarmed person.

Pam Holland hoped the investigation would be quick and fair. Her father had been a Kern County Sheriff’s reserve deputy. She grew up around cops. She thought she could trust them — but she also believed that police agencies protect their own. 

“I was like, wow, that’s awesome, this is great, they’re going to take it out of the hands of the local cops, who would instantly feel anger toward my son without even knowing anything,” she said.

But an investigation that the Justice Department officers told Holland would take eight months is quickly approaching 12. Now, she is among several Californians whose family members were killed by the police in the past two years and just want the state investigations to end.

The Justice Department opened the program in 2021 to carry out a law enforcement accountability law that gained traction after a Minneapolis police officer murdered George Floyd. Attorney General Rob Bonta, who co-authored the law when he was in the Legislature, pledged that the investigations under the law created by Assembly Bill 1506 would be completed within a year. But some police shooting reviews have already stretched 18 months or more. 

The oldest unresolved police shooting case is from August 2021, more than 21 months ago. 

While the investigations proceed, the families and their legal teams have as much or as little information as the rest of the public and they cannot push forward with lawsuits against the policing agencies. 

“I am at the point where I believe families have to pay a visit to Bonta in Sacramento,” said Jonathan Hernandez, a Santa Ana city council member whose cousin was shot to death in September 2021. “All of us, every family who’s waiting for 1506 investigations, if he doesn’t give us a response, we will give him a response.”

Bonta, the elected head of the Justice Department, refused to answer questions about delays in the investigations. His office responded to questions with an unsigned email.

The length of the Justice Department investigations leads to other impacts: District attorneys cannot develop police shooting cases to decide whether criminal charges against the officer or officers are merited until the Justice Department’s review is over.

In Holland’s case in San Bernardino County, the sheriff’s office said it could not issue a final verdict on its officer’s conduct while the state review is underway – an interpretation of the law that the Justice Department denied in a written statement to CalMatters.

The department “has no policy prohibiting a local law enforcement agency from completing its administrative investigation while our investigation is proceeding,” unnamed representatives for the Justice Department wrote.

In the meantime, the deputy who shot Holland is back on patrol duty.

Bonta’s predecessor, fellow Democrat Xavier Becerra, initially opposed the bill that led to the state’s role in police shooting reviews. Becerra argued at the time it would be too costly for the Justice Department, which is under the attorney general, to take on a responsibility that normally fell to local district attorneys.

One issue is money. The Justice Department asked for $26 million to pay for the new shooting investigation teams. The Legislature allotted half of that, about $13 million. 

Becerra complained about that discrepancy to the bill’s author, Democratic Assemblymember Kevin McCarty of Sacramento. 

The $13 million budget allocation “is significantly lower than our estimates and not enough resources to stand up professional teams to perform these new investigative and prosecutorial duties,” Becerra wrote to McCarty in January 2021. “As a result, the (Justice Department) will have limited capacity to implement this bill, short of redirecting resources from other essential, mandated work, which could compromise those operations.”

Now, the length of the state investigations is “longer than average” for police shooting cases, said California District Attorneys Association CEO Greg Totten, a former Ventura County prosecutor. He added that every case is different.

Prosecutors “try to move the cases as quickly as we can, but they’re not always straightforward,” Totten said.

Bonta’s office in the unsigned statement acknowledged the slower-than-expected pace of the investigations.

“This does sometimes mean that investigations may take longer to complete than they would with additional funding and resources, but we owe it to the families involved as well as our communities to ensure that each case is done right, and supported by a thorough, fair, and comprehensive investigation.”

McCarty said in a statement last week that the slow pace of investigations is a result of thorough work. 

“It’s been slow to roll out and implement, but I still have confidence in the program — as it’s better to be right than to be fast,” McCarty said in a statement emailed to CalMatters. 

“I feel for the families having to patiently wait, but rest assured, independent investigations for civilian deaths by law enforcement is vital in demanding more transparency and accountability.”

Pam Holland’s son, Shane,was an intravenous drug user with a litany of arrests and jail sentences. He had outstanding warrants and he ran from the police. She knows how all this looks. But she hoped the state, with its $13 million annual budget for police shooting investigations, would at least provide a dispassionate, thorough resolution. 

Now? 

“I wish they would have never gotten involved.”

On a dark street in a San Bernardino County exurb, Shane Earl Holland gave a fake name to a sheriff’s deputy and ran. 

Holland, 35, was a passenger in a car pulled over by San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputy Justin Lopez about 2:30 a.m. one day last June. Holland had outstanding warrants. Lopez yelled at him to stop running and get on the ground. Holland replied several times, “I’ll shoot you.” 

Lopez, according to audio from his tape recorder obtained by CalMatters, chased Holland on foot for one minute and 17 seconds, then fired six shots, killing him. Moments later, Lopez’s sergeant arrived at the scene. 

“You good?,” asked the sergeant, whose name has not been released by the sheriff’s department.

“I’m good,” Lopez said, still breathing hard from the chase. 

“Where’s his gun,” the sergeant replied. “Did he have a gun?”

“I don’t know,” Lopez said. “He said he was going to shoot.”

Pam Holland first heard that recording in January – a recording her daughter obtained from the Justice Department with a public records request. 

“Honestly, like if there was no audio recordings, if I didn’t hear the audio recording, I would not believe the story,” she said. “If I didn’t hear it for my own self and they told me, well, you know, he said he was going to shoot, I wouldn’t believe it.”

On the recording, Lopez and his sergeant briefly discuss the injuries to Shane Holland’s body, mentioning that they can see his skull. She wants to know if he suffered. 

Holland’s family has been assigned an advocate, who works for the Justice Department. Holland and two of her daughters sometimes do an imitation of the advocate’s frustrating responses to their questions: “‘I’m sorry, we can’t tell you that,’ ” they mimicked in chorus during an interview at Holland’s Tehapachi apartment.

Holland has questions about the night of the shooting. Why did the deputy chase the car’s passenger, leaving the driver to his own devices? Were her son’s pants falling off like they usually were? Did he have his hand at his waistband to hold them up as he ran? Did it look like he was reaching for a gun? 

“I waver between thinking the cop needs to suffer, go to prison himself, to feeling bad for him,” she said. “And that makes me wonder what the hell’s wrong with me. He killed my kid. But he’s running in the dark, chasing someone who says, I’m going to shoot you. That’s not okay.”

Ed Obayashi, a former Plumas County Sheriff’s deputy who is now a nationally recognized expert in police use-of-force cases, also has questions about the shooting. CalMatters shared the tape recording of the shooting with him. 

He broke the deputy’s decision-making into two parts: Why chase Holland, and why fire shots? 

“Officers, it’s embedded in their DNA to chase,” Obayashi said. “That’s why we’re cops.”

But state and federal courts have held that simple fleeing is not a reason for a police officer to detain a person, said Obayashi, who also has a law degree. 

Lopez, the deputy, told the driver that he had a reflective coating on his license plate, making it hard to read. Obayashi said he doesn’t understand what threat Holland posed to the officer when he fled. 

“A physical threat, that hardly exists here because he’s running away,” Obayashi said. “And it’s inherently dangerous to be chasing anyone during the day, much less at night.” 

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department has a policy for vehicle pursuits, but not pursuits on foot. In emailed responses to CalMatters’ questions, department spokesperson Mara Rodriguez said the department relies on guidance from the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, or POST. 

The POST guidelines – which are merely suggestions and not mandatory – call foot pursuits “one of the most dangerous and unpredictable situations for officers.” They say an officer should have observed criminal activity before starting a chase. 

“I just don’t see the legal justification for this shooting,” Obayashi said. “Fleeing alone is not a good reason to chase. Matter of fact, that’s no reason at all.”

But when Holland threatened Lopez, Obayashi said, his fate was sealed. 

“I’m not taking that chance, if he’s saying he’s going to shoot,” Obayashi said. “It’s very easy for someone to pull out a gun and spray bullets behind them. The individual made a distinct threat and the deputy’s thinking, oh shit, this guy is going for a gun.”

For the deputy, the ramifications of using deadly force will be compounded by investigations by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, the local district attorney’s office and the Justice Department, said Brian Marvel, president of the Peace Officers Research Association of California. 

“That adds up to a lot,” Marvel said. “Having to wait long periods of time and going through that is, it’s pretty rough. I think anybody under any circumstances having to wait those types of time frames, (it) takes a toll on your psyche, it takes a toll on your health and it’s difficult to get through.”

Marvel said it’s not surprising that the Justice Department investigations are taking a long time – the people doing the investigations are still learning to conduct them at this level. 

“I think what you’re dealing with now is, you have an Attorney General’s office that has never done this before,” Marvel said. “So, in essence, you’re having to train up special agents to do officer-involved shootings. There is a skill associated with investigating not only officer-involved shootings, but just shootings in general, that the Attorney General’s office doesn’t have.”

Another family who lost faith waiting for the Justice Department’s investigation has long roots in Orange County. Hernandez, the Santa Ana city councilmember, watched from behind a police barricade as officers shot his cousin, Brandon Lopez, 22 times after a police chase in Anaheim on Sept. 28, 2021. 

Lopez, 33, had three outstanding warrants and was driving a stolen car that crashed at a construction site. During an hours-long standoff, police shouted commands to him, telling him to surrender. In a video presentation of dispatcher audio and body camera footage prepared by the Anaheim Police Department, police said Lopez was “smoking narcotics” inside the car and refused to leave. 

Santa Ana police handed over the standoff to the Anaheim Police Department. Soon after, Anaheim Police officers fired a flashbang grenade and tear gas canister into the car. Lopez emerged from the car’s backseat moments later. 

The officers called out that Lopez had a gun. Police fired multiple rounds, and Lopez is shown in the video falling to the ground. He died at the scene. He was unarmed.

“What they called a standoff was a public execution of an unarmed man,” Hernandez said. “The days of lynching have gone away and have evolved into the modern day police shooting.”

Hernandez ran in 2020 against an incumbent former Orange County Sheriff’s deputy on a police reform platform. He won by 9 percentage points.

At the scene before the shooting, body camera footage shows the councilmember in a T-shirt and shorts, asking to speak with his cousin and telling an officer he’s worried because “cops kill people every day.” 

The officer responds: “People kill people every day.” 

“Absolutely,” Hernandez said, “but you’ll get away with it.”

CalMatters requested raw footage, interviews and relevant documents associated with the Lopez shooting from the Anaheim Police Department in September. The department denied the request, citing the ongoing investigation. 

When the Justice Department took control of the investigation, Hernandez said he was hopeful it would avoid the local politics of Santa Ana and Orange County. Unlike Holland’s family, Hernandez said his relatives do not think well of the police. He and Lopez’s mother, Johanna, told CalMatters they refused to speak with the local cops after the shooting. 

“You cannot trust the people who just murdered your loved one to properly investigate each other,” Hernandez said. 

Now, because of the delay, he wonders whether he and his family can trust the Justice Department.

(CalMatters.org)

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has chosen former congressman Dennis Kucinich to manage his 2024 presidential campaign, uniting the two famously idiosyncratic political figures in a long-shot attempt to defeat President Joe Biden in the Democratic primary.

IT'S TIME FOR ANOTHER US PRESIDENTIAL RACE where populist factions on both sides spend a few months angrily decrying the establishment before voting for candidates in the general election who will fully serve that same establishment.

— Caitlin Johnstone

AS ARAB STATES SEEK PEACE, US INSISTS THAT SYRIANS SUFFER

After the Arab League re-admits Syria, Washington threatens new sanctions to prevent reconstruction.

by Aaron Mate

Syria’s re-admission to the Arab League is a milestone in the country’s continued recovery from a decade-long war that caused hundreds of thousands of deaths, millions of refugees, and widespread destruction.

For the US, the move has different implications. “The decision to readmit Syria to the Arab League represents a rejection of U.S. interests in the region and shows that Middle Eastern countries are forging policies independent of Western concerns,” the Wall Street Journal observes.

Having spent billions of dollars on a dirty war to overthrow Syria’s government, and then imposed crippling sanctions to prevent the country’s reconstruction, Washington is not pleased with the Arab League’s new expression of independence toward Damascus.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers has responded with a measure that would intensify US sanctions and punish states who engage with Syria any further. “The readmission of Syria to the Arab League really infuriated members and made clear the need to quickly act to send a signal,” a senior Congressional staffer told Reuters. Accordingly, “The legislation is a warning to Turkey and Arab countries that if they engage with Assad's government, they could face severe consequences.”…

mate.substack.com/p/as-arab-states-seek-peace-us-insists