Mendocino County Today: Monday, Sept. 18, 2023

By AVA News Service on September 18, 2023

ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS are forecast to develop this afternoon across portions of Trinity and northeastern Mendocino County. Dry and locally breezy conditions are then expected Tuesday through Thursday, followed by slightly cooler weather during late week, and perhaps wet weather next Monday. (NWS)

STEPHEN DUNLAP (Fort Bragg): A foggy 56F this Monday morning on the coast. The NWS continues to try to bring less fog in the forecast for this week, let's see if it happens. There are hints of some rain early next week, another we'll see.

Willits Road Sign with Cumulonimbus Clouds (Jeff Goll)

ANNA TAYLOR

1945-2023

Anna Taylor was born in New York City on June 11, 1945, and peacefully passed away early in the morning of September 15 at Sutter Mills Peninsula Medical Center, in Burlingame. Her daughter Jordan and son-in-law Nathan were at her side. Anna was 78 years old.

Anna Taylor was a multi-gifted individual, a strong journalist, poet, historian, polemicist.

Her father, Henry Wilde Roberts, was a Russian immigrant physics professor and inventor. Her mother Ouida Campbell, was born in Carrboro, North Carolina, a woolen mill village today literally on the outskirts of Chapel Hill, the home of the University of North Carolina. Anna was born in New York City and grew up and went to school in Carrboro, attended college at American University and then the University of Wisconsin, majoring in History and literature, and later on in her life San Francisco State University. She also attended graduate school at the University of California, San Diego and studied under the Marxian/Hegelian philosopher Herbert Marcuse, author of the landmark study of consumer capitalism’s effect on ordinary people, ‘One Dimensional Man.’

In the late sixties she joined with her partner, Lowell Bergman, later producer of the muckraking TV show, “Sixty Minutes,” in an urban commune in San Diego. A rather heroic social ambition to fly an NLF flag in the yard of the two home commune in the military and military/industrial ambiance of San Diego. She then left the commune and moved to San Francisco, where she met her husband Brad Wiley. She participated in the launch of a not particularly successful underground news magazine ‘Leviathan,’ founded by Brad and his brother Peter.

Near the end of ‘Leviathan’s’ two year life she and Brad moved to the country, bought a piece of the old Colson/Guntly ranch in Navarro and started planting a vineyard in 1971. She and Brad, in their spare time, also started a local monthly newspaper, The Anderson Valley Advocate, which I have written about before. Anna was a good editor, a disciplined typesetter for the paper, and a thorough and lyrical journalist on Valley history and personalities. She and Brad married in 1972 and divorced in 1976, and Anna continued to live in her home on Highway 128 to near the end of her life.

Anna leaves behind loving family and friends. These include her sisters Caroline, Kate, Rebecca, Laura, and, brothers Richard and Paul, all younger than her and living outside Anderson Valley, as well as daughter Jordan Stephens, son-in-law Nathan Stephens and three grandchildren, Harrison, Ellison and Murray.

Close Anderson Valley friends who will also miss Anna include Kathy Bailey and Eric Labowitz, Teresa Brendlen, Mickey and David Colfax, David Dart, Norman de Vall, Joanadel and Ken Hurst, Mary Pat Palmer and Brad Wiley.

As she requested, Anna will be interred next to her grandmother Flossie Campbell in the Carrboro village public cemetery, where her Appalachian Scots roots still reside.

(Brad Wiley)

SUPERINTENDENT SIMSON:

A huge thank you to Martin at Cloverdale Tow. I broke down in Geyersville on 101 on Saturday and he efficiently delivered me and my car to Ukiah. Much appreciated and he was incredibly nice! Just so grateful it didn’t happen on my odyssey returning from a conference in San Diego on Wednesday.

Dear Anderson Valley Community,

Fair is in the air. The Cheer Squad and Football Team put in quite a bit of sweat equity this weekend on their display and they need a number of potted plants to complete the effort. These units will be returned. Please contact Yesenia Pena 707-367-2065 if you can loan some potted plants/flowers. Can you help?

A huge shout also to FFA Leadership. FFA Leader Beth Swehla and the FFA Officers attended a fantastic 2 day Chapter Officer Leadership Conference at SRJC's Shone Farm. It was put on by the North Coast Regional Officers and the CA State FFA Officers. AV officers along with about 300 other chapter officers in the region participated in a variety of workshops. They came away stronger as a team with new ideas and excitement. They saw old friends and made lots of new friends. They also explored the Shone Farm seeing all the possibilities there.

So good to see our Valley students involved in the community and beyond with the mentorship of their leaders. Grateful.

Take care,

Louise Simson, Superintendent, 707-684-1017

NONSENSE TRUMPS INTEGRITY

by Mark Scaramella

Readers may recall that we noted the absurdity of one paragraph in the County’s otherwise meaningless proposed response to the Grand Jury’s criticism of the County’s Human Resources department and processes. Surprisingly, Supervisor John Haschak pullled that response from the consent agenda last Tuesday saying, “I think supervisors Williams and Gjerde were the ad hoc that responded to [the Grand Jury report]. There are just some questions I had to it. Certainly the Grand Jury did a very thorough investigation of it and noted some real issues that we have with human resources and the workplace culture.” Haschak first wanted to know if, after “looking into” an Ombuds program that the Grand Jury had suggested and determining that it’s “not feasible,” then what? (Of course they would never “determine” that it’s feasible; that response was pure gibberish too.)

After acting HR Director/Deputy CEO Cherie Johnson noted that it would cost money, she offered a blizzard of buzzwords — “parameters,” “ideas,” “hoping,” “moving forward,” “leadership initiative,” “book clubs” [sic], etc. — instead of an “ombuds” program.

Haschak accepted Johnson’s non-response as “other things are going on to try to deal with these issues.”

Then Haschak highlighted the most absurd paragraph.

“[Grand Jury] Finding #25 was, ‘The county as an employer has suffered due to the workplace culture which makes the county less attractive to potential applicants.’ And the response was, ‘partially disagree.’ I just want some clarification on this answer: ‘The county's workplace culture looks less attractive to potential applicants if the culture is known by the applicant and it is as bad or worse than the current workplace culture that the applicant is enduring’.”

Laughter from the audience.

“And so,” Haschak continued, giggling to himself, “if there's an explanation for that it would be welcome and I think there might be a better way to address this issue.”

More laughter.

Supervisor Maureen Mulheren added to the absurdity: “When I read that I certainly heard it in their voices. I'm not sure that Deputy CEO Johnson wrote that answer. If there's a better way to frame it, I would hope that the ad hoc members could collaborate on this in that way.”

Gjerde mansplained: “We have a large number of people in society right now who are moving from job to job and the employers are experiencing… It's not just in Mendocino County. So if someone's going to look for a job at a different employer, part of what captures into that is, are they happy at their current employers? I think it's kind of…” Then even Gjerde fizzled out, realizing he was just making matters worse. “If someone has a suggestion on how they'd like to reword that, I'm open to that.”

Haschak started over: “Well, the finding is that the county has suffered due to workplace culture which makes the County less attractive to potential applicants. It's not wrong to agree with what the Grand Jury said in that case. We don't have to say, Well, it's bad, but it certainly could be a lot worse.”

More laughter in the room.

McGourty said, “I can enlighten [sic] on that a little bit too,” conceding, after a few more pointlessly redundant few sentences, that “Definitely there's room for improvement. It's in our strategic plan, it's one of the things we are striving for to make Mendocino County a better place to work and I think steps are being taken to do that, but HR plays a really critical role in making sure that we properly staff the County.”

Ms. Johnson added more bureaucratese — “anniversary interviews and exit interviews,” “feedback,” “surveys,” “share the information,” etc.

Haschak suggested rewording the response. Hours later they came back with revised wording: “Partially disagree. The County’s workplace culture varies by department. The County’s workplace culture is not consistent throughout the County. The County recognizes there are some departments with challenging workplace cultures due to varied reasons such as vacant management and leadership positions, lack of trained supervisors and managers, lack of accountability and challenges in filling vacant positions. Depending upon the current or previous department the employee or potential applicants talks to the applicant could be influenced equally as to whether they applied for County employment in certain departments due to concerns about workplace culture.”

Which is still also a non-sensical insult to the public and the Grand Jury.

Supervisor Williams furthered the absurdity by asking, “Is it ‘Partially disagree’ or ‘partially agree’?”

After some confusion County Counsel Christian Curtis replied: “Yeah. Uh, I believe that that’s the same. We, we, we’ll, we’ll… The language that’s used in the statute… We will modify the report to reflect, um, um, um, whatever the, uh, whatever the statute says.”

This typical stumble was a perfect postscript to the entire bumbling discussion.

It fell to First District Supervisor Candidate Carrie Shattuck to break through the nonsense: “Thanks to Supervisor Haschak for pointing out this item. All you have to do is watch one of these board meetings to see the [workplace] culture. Elected officials are degraded, belittled, their competence is called into question and their statements cut off. If an elected official is treated like this, how bad is it for an employee? I will give you several examples that have happened recently. At a board meeting Supervisor Gjerde told for the union employees that the increase in health care costs was ‘on them,’ that they had been over-using it, upsetting many employees who were attending the meeting. Even Supervisor Haschak was offended by that statement since he has been using his insurance lately. Isn't that what health insurance is for? Supervisor Williams at the July 25 board meeting had an agenda item to ‘direct staff to initiate modernization of new hires and annual employee standards including position appropriate physical, psychological, moral character and computer literacy.’ You can't read this grand jury response and hear these recent board comments and not think that the current culture is intentional on some level. This culture at the County will never change with attitudes towards employees and each other like this. The poor way this response was written is embarrassing. As a citizen and having previously had employees, and as a taxpayer, that you would respond and direct a county like this…? A county is its employees, whether you like it or not. What happened to integrity?”

SHASTA COUNTY MAN GOES MISSING After Abruptly Leaving Ukiah Rehab Facility

36-year-old Shasta County man Justin Matthew Clark came to Ukiah just over three months ago for rehabilitative treatment at the Ford Street Project. Last Monday, September 11, 2023, he abruptly left the treatment facility and texted his family “I think I need to come home.” He has not been seen nor heard from since.

We spoke with his wife, Leigha Bowden Davis Clark, who told us that her husband’s lack of communication with her, other family members, and his best friends is concerning and out of character.

Leigha told us she drove to Ukiah last Friday and spent hours asking around if anyone had seen her husband. A representative at Ukiah homeless shelter Building Bridges reportedly told Leigha her husband had tried to find a bed there one week ago but has not been seen since.

She has access to his Gmail account and saw that yesterday, September 16, 2023, his account pinged to the 1500 block of Talmage Court.

Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Quincy Cromer confirmed a missing person report had been filed with his agency. Based on the circumstances, investigators entered Clark’s circumstances into the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System and issued a Be On the Lookout to regional agencies casting a wide net to track down Clark’s whereabouts.

Leigha told us her husband is approximately 6’ tall, weighs 200 lbs, and has green eyes and brown hair. He sports a goatee or a beard and often wears t-shirts, jeans, a watch, bracelets, and a cross necklace. He has tattoos on his right shoulder and the center of his back.

If you have any information about Justin Clark’s whereabouts, please contact the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office at (707)463-4063.

SOLAR SQUABBLES: Ukiah billing for home solar systems questioned.

by Mike Geniella

The city of Ukiah prides itself on belonging to a Northern California public utility system that relies on renewable energy sources and hydroelectric plants to provide nearly 80 percent of the power local customers consume.

Ukiah’s progressive energy policies are widely applauded, including its promotion of rooftop solar systems. The city operates Mendocino County’s only customer-owned utility and has since 1968 because of membership in the non-profit Northern California Power Agency, a consortium of public agencies including Healdsburg, Palo Alto, the Port of Oakland, Santa Clara, Redding, and Lodi. Ukiah’s utility department provides electricity, water, and wastewater treatment to more than 15,000 residents and businesses.

But there is confusion surrounding current Ukiah solar power billing practices, and it is frustrating a small but growing base of solar customers. So far, there are an estimated 100 solar-equipped residences in the city. A recent study showed on average, Ukiah homeowners who install solar panels save approximately $1,555 per year, or $29,545 over 20 years after converting to solar generated power.

City representatives blame a software glitch, but they also argue that there is a “common misconception” that solar homeowners will no longer receive a bill, or their costs for electricity will drop to zero. In fact, they say solar customers still have to rely on the city’s electric grid because of weather or the size of solar panels, and that they will be charged if net energy production from the individual system is less than usage.

“The reality is solar power is super-complicated when it comes to usage and production,” said Deputy City Manager Shannon Riley.

Riley acknowledged that the city’s conversion to a new utility billing system a year ago is behind customer frustration. “It was a huge leap for us, and we are still working with the software company to resolve complications.”

Even with that admission, a number of the city’s growing base of solar-based customers are questioning why bills surrounding their individual solar systems a year later remain so “confusing, frustrating, and hardly understandable.”

Ukiah resident Jim Moorehead is showing on his iPad data he collected from his home solar system. [photo by Mike Geniella]

“My wife and I both have MBAs (master’s in business administration degrees) and neither one of us can understand the city’s billing system,” said Jim Moorehead. The Mooreheads are westside Ukiah residents who invested more than $25,000 in a sophisticated rooftop solar system after remodeling an old craftsman house the couple bought.

Jim Moorehead said he invested in a feature that allows him to monitor individual energy production from 28 panels. “I’ve created my own spreadsheet, and the city figures just don’t match,” he said. Figures compiled by city meter readers in some instances are way off, contended Moorehead.

As a result, Moorehead and other unhappy solar customers are sitting on thousands of dollars in unpaid city energy bills “because we can’t trust the figures, nor understand how they are compiled.”

Ukiah resident Holy Brackman and her husband Roger Foote converted their home to solar in 2015. “At the same time we reroofed our home and installed solar, we bought an electric car. We are trying to be climate conscious,” said Brackman.

Brackman said the billing for their system has been out of whack for the last three years. Typically, utilities ‘true up’ with their customers once a year over how much electricity was generated from an individual solar system, and how much the homeowner consumed.

“The last time our electric bill was ‘trued up’ or the city paid us for excess power we generated from solar was in 2019!’ exclaimed Brackman. “We keep being told there are software issues stemming from conversion to a new billing system, but the issues remain.”

Other solar customers, including retired tech entrepreneur Dennis Yeo, said the billing confusion has been going on for at least a year or longer.

Yeo said he has met with city staff who “acknowledge the billing problems and assure us they are being corrected.” Yet, said Yeo, the confusion remains.

“A year later I think it is fair to ask why,” said Yeo.

Yeo said in the beginning the amount of electricity generated by his solar system was close to usage, and typically “We had to pay a small amount to the city” at the end of any given year.

Then Yeo said he started getting huge monthly bills, and then a letter last Spring contending the proper amount of taxes had not been calculated “so we owed $91 more.”

“I have so far ignored the letter,” said Yeo.

Yeo said the current situation “continues to reinforce to us users that we really don’t understand how the true up/monthly accrual works, or why we are being sent letters saying we owe more.”

In his mind, Yeo said the city’s solar billing process is “clear as mud.”

The graph shows how Moorehead can track hourly energy production.

Moorehead said a year ago billing took an unexpected turn. “Things started going haywire. I was getting statements showing we had consumed as much power in one month as we had in six years.”

Moorehead said after months of trying to decipher how the city processes his electrical consumption, “I have no confidence in the billing system.”

Yes, it’s good the city encourages residents to become more energy efficient, said Moorehead.

“But frankly, they have to have the billing infrastructure to support it.”

Moorehead fears the prolonged billing confusion will scare away potential solar users.

“I can’t imagine anyone getting interested in converting to solar doing it if they become aware of the frustrating billing system currently in place,” said Moorehead.

Deputy Manager Riley acknowledged the billing problems are dragging on and taking up too much staff time. “We are hoping for some resolution. We are actively engaged in trying to get the problems fixed.”

Riley said, however, that some solar advocates and solar installation companies who heavily promote their services are also contributing to the confusion among consumers.

“Some people don’t realize that even with efficient solar systems they are still going to have baseline service fees, that are still using our distribution system, and that there are certain regulatory fees we have to charge,” said Riley. “Zero bills are not a certainty.”

Fair enough, said Brackman. But she countered that customers of the city’s utility need “accurate and transparent billing” that include easily understood power generation and usage figures, clear explanations of all charges and taxes, spreadsheets from the past two years covering the figures under the old and new billing systems, and rectifying delays and backlogs of billing errors and end of year credits from solar systems over the past 3-4 years.

“How else can we be satisfied with a billing process that discourages us, and probably a lot of people considering converting to solar?” asked Brackman.

Little Lake Cemetery Stone Grave (Jeff Goll)

BRINGING THE GOVERNMENT TO THE PEOPLE, A REAL ROAD SHOW

by Jim Shields

I’ve lobbied for years for the Board of Supervisors to hold meetings outside of the county seat, so this past Tuesday’s session in the town of Mendocino should mark the start scheduling more of the same on an annual basis.

Each year at their organizational meeting in January, the Supes should set meetings in the four supervisorial districts lying outside of Ukiah, which essentially comprises the 2nd District.

The Sept. 12 meeting held in Mendocino’s St. Anthony’s Church Parish Hall, was a big hit with Coastal residents of the 5th District, not to mention those living up the road in the 4th District’s Fort Bragg area.

One of the highlights of the day was a presentation by Fort Bragg Police Chief Neil Cervenka, with follow-up comments by Mayor Bernie Norvell, on the city’s Care Response Unit (CRU), that is a homeless outreach program that actually appears to be a success. The program operates on a budget of $430,000 annually but the grants and city funding will run out in June of 2024.

I agree with the suggestion by several people during public comment, that Measure B mental health funds and some of the $27 million given to Redwood Community Services (a private homeless/mental health services provider, with a less than stellar performance record), be directed to Fort Bragg’s successful CRU program.

Anyway, it’s time for the Supes to get behind and support an annual road show of bringing the people’s government to the people. Four meetings a year in the four outlying districts is not a big ask of our local representatives, and besides, it would be very popular with their constituents.

Back in my union days, I used to schedule our Executive Board meetings all across the continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, and Canada. A lot more travel was involved, but we all survived, and the people we represented truly appreciated the opportunity to personally participate in the democratic process.

* * *

Backroom insurance deal exposed and defeated

One proposed law that Gov. Gavin Newsom won’t be signing is the insurance industry’s secret, 11th hour bailout stinkeroo that disappeared from sight as the deadline passed Monday night for bills to hit the Governor’s desk.

In large part, Californians can thank the organization I’ve always said is our Number One consumer advocate: Consumer Watchdog (CW). Here’s the story from CW about a back-room insurance bailout deal put together by the insurance industry and some of their lapdog legislators in Sacramento.

Numerous consumer advocates have called for a public, transparent debate to address insurers’ pullouts from the home insurance market. Documents show that Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara was at the center of negotiations shaping the bailout. Consumer Watchdog sent a formal records request recently to Lara seeking the text of the proposal and his communications with insurers.

Consumer Watchdog actually recorded a lobbyist bragging about the secret deal that was initially denied by the insurance industry and finally acknowledged by State Senator Bill Dodd, who told the Sacramento Bee the recording “spooked” legislators out of supporting the bailout.

There was an industry push for Commissioner Lara to take unilateral action and issue emergency regulations that evade public scrutiny.

In my opinion, the San Diego Union Tribune called it right: “September is a scary time in the Capitol. As the Legislature hurries to finish its work before adjournment, state lawmakers have a history of making decisions on complex issues that come back to haunt Californians. Newsom and the legislature must not rush through huge changes to property insurance.”

Bay Area Congressman John Garamendi, who as the first elected Insurance Commissioner implemented Proposition 103’s requirements, said, “The insurance industry seems to be writing the playbook. If they succeed, [it’s] guaranteed California policyholders will once again be screwed by the insurance industry.”

Long-time consumer advocate Ralph Nader urged state legislators yesterday “Deregulation of Prop 103’s protections by California officials will lead to immediate and enormous increases in what people will pay for insurance in California.”

“Despite the widespread shortages of home and auto insurance orchestrated by insurance companies in recent months, California lawmakers wisely chose not to burn their constituents by passing a half-baked bailout that would make insurance even more unaffordable and unavailable, and do nothing to guarantee that any Californian who needs to buy a policy could do so,” said Harvey Rosenfield, author of Proposition 103 and founder of Consumer Watchdog.

“These negotiations were marked by secrecy and public interest advocates were barred from the room. Working in the dark from the insurance industry’s playbook to impose Florida-style deregulation in California isn’t how we’re going to solve this crisis and keep homeowners insured,” said Carmen Balber, executive director of Consumer Watchdog.

According to CW, despite insurers claims of financial crisis, insurance companies made four times the profit on home insurance in California than the national average. Insurance companies are also getting the rate increases they need in California. The Insurance Commissioner has approved 95% of the premium increase amounts that home insurance companies applied for between 2021 and August 2023; the average requested increase was 13.2% and the average increase approved by the Commissioner was 12.5%.

I think the insurance industry has been treated more than fairly in California, don’t you?

(Jim Shields is the Mendocino County Observer’s editor and publisher, observer@pacific.net, the long-time district manager of the Laytonville County Water District, and is also chairman of the Laytonville Area Municipal Advisory Council. Listen to his radio program “This and That” every Saturday at noon on KPFN 105.1 FM, also streamed live: http://www.kpfn.org.)

SOME THINGS BROKEN, SOME MISSING

by Tommy Wayne Kramer

Is there anything more to say or think or worry about with regard to the ongoing deterioration of downtown Ukiah?

I’ve flogged the tired old horse to death and back to life with paragraphs and exclamation points going back 15 or more years. I’ve suggested the city stop neglecting the old train station, the empty post office, the corpse of a Palace Hotel and the moribund courthouse because, well, because it just ain’t right to let ‘em all dry up, blow away and first be an embarrassment, and later forgotten.

But that’s downtown. The city has long been focused on development, meaning money, coming in from Ukiah’s future downtown on the far southeastern shores of Walmart, Costco, car lots and the Holiday Inn.

Aside from the occasional banner urging everyone to “Shop Local!” the city views School Street purely as travel brochure photo fodder, not a business district to revitalize. Where’s the big tax payoff from little shops selling yarn, books, egg timers and aromatherapy starter kits?

But now news from distant precincts: Denny’s on East Perkins is dead and awaiting the bulldozer; Jensen’s Truck Stop to the north is shuttered, dark and empty. And dead city center is the failed (once ballyhooed) restaurant project in the empty shell left behind by the old North State Cafe.

Add in the empty million acre showroom from Curry’s Furniture Store on East Perkins, the slo-mo rebuild of the old Satellite (great name!) Motel on South State, and the various blighted, blasted and graffiti’d blocks from one end of town to the other, and we can ill afford more dead restaurants.

The only exception to this downtown despair that I’m aware of is Bank of America. Its fortress-like hulk will be saved, preserved, nourished and given a complete and expensive remodel because the ever-expanding City of Ukiah needs more space for more offices for more employees working furiously to improve Ukiah.

Medium Security Schools

I’ve not yet inspected all local schools to see how they’ve benefited being surrounded by (very expensive!) ten-foot tall black metal picket fencing erected to provide an illusion of security as a non-response to a nonexistent threat of invading school shooters.

My favorites are Pomolita Middle School and Yokayo Elementary. Both radiate prison-like vibes to students and parents, enhanced by thousands of square yards of wall-to-wall playground asphalt, ideal for teaching kids not to run, jump, play or have fun during recess.

It’s OK to sit on the prison-yard like asphalt, except on summer days when its surface hits 130 degrees.

Way to go Ukiah Unified, where “We Care About Kids!” isn’t just a slogan, it’s our meaningless mission statement!

Disappearing Acts

I’ve never seen a summer in Ukiah with so few flies, meat bees and mosquitoes. There are no turkeys, and only a few deer on the golf course.

On the national side, what happened to the Epstein/Clinton/Trump/Gates sex-with-little girls story? And zero updates on Sam Bankman-Fried, world’s biggest alleged crypto criminal? Where’s any news, ever, about Hunter’s laptop scandal with pix of naked children and details of his $$$ deals involving him, his dad and the Ukraine?

What about Cocaine in the White House? That story got disappeared before it got started.

Next month we can expect our vigilant, straight-shootin’ journalist media celebrity entertainers to distribute more “news” about Stormy Daniels than Kamala Harris.

Dept. Of ‘Do As We Say’

Now we’re standing outside Todd Grove Park gazing at the classic swinging iron gates hanging between cubed rock pillars entering the grounds.

There is charm and beauty in the modest yet ornate gate, although rust and mild deterioration dictated a restoration job and a new coat of paint.

Guess where the city found a painting crew that would be able to handle the weeks-long job of bringing new life to the centerpiece of Ukiah’s prettiest park?

Why, Santa Rosa of course! Our leaders must have known no painting contractor in Mendocino County would be capable of handling the job.

Just about now Ukiah’s city workers are busy stringing up a “Shop Local Or Else!!” banner across State Street.

OLAF PALM'S FUNERAL, October, 2000 (photos by Dick Whetstone)

CONTINUUM OF … MEETINGS

Mendocino County Homeless Services Continuum Of Care Return To In-Person Meetings

Ukiah, CA - Effective immediately, Mendocino County Homeless Services Continuum of Care (MCHSCoC) meetings of the Governing Board and the Full Membership will be held in person. Meetings will be held at 1:30 pm in the Big Sur Conference Room in Mendocino County Social Services’ Adult and Aging Services office located at 747 S. State Street, Ukiah, CA 95482 unless otherwise noted. Meetings will continue to be made accessible via Zoom teleconference and live streamed to the MCHSCoC YouTube Channel. The next meeting of the MCHSCoC Governing Board will be held on Monday, September 18, 2023. Members of the public are encouraged to attend.

What is a HUD Continuum of Care? It is a collaboration of individuals, and agencies committed to the goal of ending homelessness in a local community. This group is instrumental in bringing federal and state funding into Mendocino County to assist families and individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness in accessing stable housing. MCHSCoC focuses on developing solutions to homelessness that also positively impact the larger community. Community members and agency staff interested in understanding some of the issues of homelessness in Mendocino County, and working on solutions to end homelessness, are welcome to attend the public meetings.

For more information on the return to in person meetings or to receive future meeting invitations, resource information, and progress updates on the goal of making homelessness brief and rare in Mendocino County, please contact Veronica Wilson at wilsonv@mendocinocounty.gov or (707) 468-7071.

LOCAL FOOD (IN)SECURITY - SEPT. 21: Strengthening Community Resilience Through The California North Coast Emergency Food System Partnership

We hope to see you at the upcoming quarterly gathering of the regional Emergency Food System Network, hosted by the University of California Cooperative Extension on September 21. To receive your invitation, reach out to Julia Van Soelen Kim at jvansoelen@ucanr.edu. The inaugural meeting on June 14, 2023, marked the beginning of an impactful Community of Practice spanning six pivotal counties: Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Sonoma, Napa, and Marin.

At the heart of this initiative lies the California North Coast Emergency Food System Partnership. The partnership is formed to bolster local and regional food systems and fortify community resilience. The initial virtual convocation garnered enthusiastic participation, fostering connections centered around emergency food response strategies across the North Coast. Attendees were introduced to the project's scope and upcoming initiatives. Collaboratively, we identified key regional opportunities to enhance food security, both in times of crisis and day-to-day life.

Over the past half-decade, the Northern California region has weathered an onslaught of challenges – from devastating wildfires and landslides to relentless drought, a far-reaching pandemic, and economic instability. Such circumstances underscore the importance of shoring up local producers, regional food systems, and emergency food aid networks. This Partnership springs into action, addressing chronic emergency food assistance, like vital groceries, alongside the pressing demand for crisis-driven support, including nourishing meals during evacuation scenarios.

Unified by a shared commitment, the project brings together food producers, food policy councils, community-based organizations, local and tribal governments, cooperative extension professionals, and emergency planners. Each contributes unique insights gleaned from navigating climate-induced disasters and pandemic responses. The focus is clear: establishing an emergency food network spanning six counties across Northern California, an area that spans an impressive 12,545 square miles.

Through targeted activities, the partnership will enhance economic efficiency, fortify livelihoods of local producers, foster community resilience, and champion equity within emergency food systems. The goals encompass:

• Expanding Market Opportunities: creating new avenues within emergency food supply chains that provide local producers with a buffer against risks and income loss during crises.

• Collective Capacity Building: forging a robust network of partners to elevate emergency food systems. This includes devising emergency feeding plans and cataloging local emergency food supply chain infrastructure.

CALIFORNIA COASTAL CLEANUP DAY is Saturday, September 23, 2023 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Coastal Cleanup Day comprises the largest single effort to remove accumulated debris from California’s beaches and inland shorelines in the past years. The City of Fort Bragg “adopts” Glass Beach annually as our Cleanup Site and we need your support to make this a successful event. The City invites everyone to help protect our coastline by joining to remove trash at Glass Beach or any one of the 17 Mendocino County Cleanup Sites.

Visit mendocinolandtrust.org for details about each of the Mendocino County sites or visit coastalcleanupday.org to view an interactive map of sites all over California.

If you wish to volunteer, join us at our cleanup site (Glass Beach) or any location of your choosing. There is no need to RSVP or sign up ahead of time (unless otherwise noted on the map), just pick a location, show up, check in, and lend a hand. Supplies are provided on site, but we ask all volunteers to please bring their own work gloves, water bottle, and garbage receptacle (bucket, bag, etc.) to help reduce waste. Even if you cannot make it to one of the planned events, we encourage you to pick up trash wherever you are.

FROM STREETS TO CREEKS:

2023 Ukiah Valley Russian River Cleanup to be Held Saturday, Sept. 23

Volunteers Needed for Annual Pollution Prevention and Stewardship Event

Ukiah – Would you like to make an immediate improvement to the environment and have fun doing it? Does the sight of litter in our creeks make you want to take action? Then come join the annual Ukiah Valley Russian River Cleanup, held on Coastal Cleanup Day, Saturday, September 23, from 8:30 AM to Noon.

The 110-mile-long Russian River snakes around serpentine hills of blue oak woodlands from northern Ukiah down south of Healdsburg, before winding westward through steep, fir-studded valleys past Guerneville, and spilling past myriad Harbor seals into the Pacific at Jenner. The Russian River is home to snails, dragonflies, turtles, newts, snakes, toads, frogs, fish, otters, ducks, hawks, and so many other important friends in our ecosystem. Many sea-dwelling fishes including Coho salmon, Steelhead trout, and Pacific lamprey visit the Russian River to reproduce.

The Russian River watershed is also home to many dedicated human stewards. Last year, in the Ukiah Valley alone, over 140 volunteers collected 3,500 pounds of trash! Cigarette butts are the most frequently collected item, followed by single-use plastic packaging, such as food wrappers. It’s tempting to pull out large objects like tires and bicycles, but small litter is just as important, and cigarette butts release toxic chemicals into the water, which can pose enormous harm to aquatic species.

Be part of the solution! To join the cleanup, pre-register through MCRCD’s Facebook page, or directly at https://forms.gle/P3b9KcmVH8PM7TDo6 by September 18th. Volunteers will gather for a safety talk and to divide into teams. Come early at 8:30 to sign in and get a cup of coffee donated by Black Oak Coffee Roasters. Bring a water bottle, sturdy shoes, and work gloves. No flip flops!

The event is co-sponsored by the Mendocino County Resource Conservation District, Mendocino County Water Agency, and Redwood Waste Solutions, along with numerous local partners including the City of Ukiah and Black Oak Coffee Roasters. For questions or for more information, contact Jessica Reid at j.reid@mcrcd.org.

PROTECT OUR WATERS - DON’T MOVE A MUSSEL

Did you know that a tiny mollusk native to Europe can wreak havoc on boats, pipes, and other infrastructure in California? Quagga and zebra mussels were introduced to the United States in the 1980s through ballast water from a European ship. These invasive mussels have microscopic larvae, reproduce quickly, and will form dense mats that blankets infrastructure, water pipes, and boat hulls, and degrades aquatic habitat and ecosystems for native species.

Fortunately, there are currently no quagga or zebra mussels in North Coast waterways, including Mill Creek Ponds, Lake Mendocino, or Lake Sonoma. “Thankfully, we have not found any invasive mussels in our lakes, and we hope that trend continues,” says Amber Fisette, Deputy Director of Transportation for the Mendocino County Department of Transportation. “The County knows that the mussels are present in the south Bay Area, where they cause enormous damage to watercraft, water infrastructure, and wildlife habitat. We want to make sure that doesn’t happen here.”

To increase public awareness of this issue, the Mendocino County Resource Conservation District (MCRCD) will be hosting a free event at Low Gap Park on September 23rd from 8:30-12, during the Russian River Clean-up day. Meet water-lovers, anglers, boaters and others who enjoy our local creeks, ponds, and lakes and help us protect our waters from invasion by trash and pests.

Mendocino County, California State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways, and MCRCD developed the mussel monitoring program. “The key to preventing infestation by mussels is a simple motto: Clean! Drain! Dry!” says Denise Woods, MCRCD Water Resources Project Manager. “So, every time you remove your boat from a waterbody, clean it and all your gear: remove plant material; drain the bilge, ballast, and buckets; and thoroughly dry all equipment before launching anywhere else. Even clean your shoes and shoelaces. Please don’t be that person who accidentally brings these pests to infest our clean waterbodies. Don’t move a mussel!”

The September 23rd Russian River clean-up event is co-sponsored by Mendocino County and Redwood Waste Solutions. Want to help with the river clean-up? Pre-register at https://mcrcd.org/mcrcd-news/2023-ukiah-valley-russian-river-clean-up. Want to learn more about the mussel prevention program? Visit www.mendocinocounty.org/dontmoveamussel.

‘OUTTA THE BOX’ ASSEMBLAGE ART CAMPS are open for signups with a new camp beginning this weekend. The camps are hosted by assemblage artists Spencer Brewer and Esther Siegel and open to all levels of experience or non-experience and artistic backgrounds. No formal art education is needed. Spencer & Esther will share the secrets of their own assemblage practice, offer assistance to help guide your creative process and expand your scope of usable materials.

Assemblage is a three-dimensional art form made up of everyday objects that normally don’t live together. These objects are scavenged and collected to help create unique art pieces. The result is both fun and a ‘wow’ experience for the artist and the observer. The goals are to 1) learn the basics of assemblage, 2) create a finished art piece out of a ‘case’, 3) increase your sense of community, 4) ‘sparkle’ your intuition, and 5) have some fun!

These theme-orientated camps will involve using a ‘case’ to create your art piece. A case is a container that is designed to hold or protect something. Examples include boxes, instrument cases, cigar boxes, anything that holds other objects. Participants will have the opportunity to display their work in a group show at the Corner Gallery in Ukiah early 2024.

Workshop are Saturday, September 23^rd from 8:30 to 4:00, Saturday, October 21st from 8:30 to 4:00, and Saturday, November 11th from 9:30 to 4:30.

Space limited to 8 participants. Fee is $200 (includes a scrumptious lunch, some materials and the gallery lease). The location is at Spencer & Esther’s sculpture barn in Redwood Valley.

Check out a video of our last assemblage camp and see what it’s all about! https://youtu.be/7bmxcws378M

Contact Esther Siegel at harmonygaits@mcn.org or 707-485-5354 to reserve your spot!

CHRIS SKYHAWK:

Thank you everyone for the lovely b-day wishes, I thought I would take a few minutes and talk about my current condition in life and outlook towards it 61! Wow, esp. since I barely made it out of my 50s; whoa, that was a close one; well actually I feel great; obviously living alone; post divorce in a trailer with ongoing physical challenges from a nearly fatal stroke, was hardly a life goal. Sometimes when I awake in the morning and my left hand continuers to not work; and on my best days the best walks i can do is a decent shuffle; it can get frustrating; but I’m free in ways that I could have barely imagined in my 1st life; I was sitting with a friend recently and I told her ”I would not trade a healthy body for everything I have learned" this statement just popped out of me and surprised us both… lol. But when I reflected on the truth of it, I realized yes, true…… my NDE was a marvelous experience; and continues to illuminate and inform my life; many things could be said, but basically we are ALL just ghosts walking around inside skin bags; this was theoretical knowledge to me in my 1st life, now its experiential; and it gives me a heady and ecstatic joy on a daily basis… and is constantly gifting me; don’t get me wrong I would absolutely love to take a decent hike again someday, maybe play my guitar, etc…

I tell my girls that I most certainly want them to do what makes them happy; but if they were ever in position of wanting children and were with a good man to do that with; I’d probably be the happiest man on earth, and a healing goal for me would to be able to hoist said grandchildren; but if not i will also be happy getting cozy on a couch and reading to them…..

But yesterday the girls did their aerial circus arts at the Noyo harbor festival, they are becoming stars and both of them have aspirations to great things; I couldn't be happier, of them and the depth of relationship we maintain, obviously we’ve been through lot, but fortunately when they were littles; I had a small indoor grow; although i Never made much than enough to pay the basic bills, it did allow me to be a mostly, stay-at-home dad; which allowed us to bond very deeply; a remarkable bond that persists even after all that has happened, and in the face of being typical moody 15 y olds… they seem to know at a cellular level that no matter what happens that papa has their back; that this feeling seems to be bedrock, well it’s one of the finest things ever in my life.

So yes my life is filled with magic love and beauty; thank you all for being a part of it….

CATCH OF THE DAY, Sunday, September 16, 2023

LUIS ACOSTA, Covelo. Disorderly conduct-alcohol.

GRACIA ATALIG, Ukiah. Domestic battery.

KEVIN BIRCHFIELD, Fort Bragg. DUI-alcohol&drugs.

BEVERLY BRUNO, Covelo. DUI, child endangerment.

STEPHANIE FROST, Philo. DUI.

YOCIRI GUERRERO, Ukiah. Robbery, assault with deadly weapon not a gun.

KAMRON HOOD, Crescent City/Ukiah. DUI.

MONICA HOWELL, Hidden Valley/Ukiah. Misdemeanor hit&run with property damage.

RAFAEL JUAREZ-DUENAS, Covelo. DUI, controlled substance, paraphernalia.

NATHAN MORALES, Covelo. Disorderly conduct-alcohol&drugs, paraphernalia.

MANUEL MONTALVO-DEJESUS, Covelo. DUI.

RANDY RANEY, Ukiah. Transportation of marijuana.

RICARDO SALVADOR, San Lucas/Ukiah. DUI.

PATRICIA TREPPA, Redwood Valley. Assault with deadly weapon not a gun, taking firearm from peace officer, resisting.

LACEY VANLUREN-STILLWELL, Covelo. DUI.

JANI WRIGHT, Ukiah. DUI, cruelty to child-infliction of injury.

49ERS & BROCK PURDY WIN AGAIN, BUT GET A HUMBLING REALITY CHECK FROM RAMS

by Scott Ostler

Reality check, please!

For the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday’s game was expected to be a day at the beach against the rebuilding Los Angeles Rams.

Yeah, no. The surf was not up for the 49ers, at least not until after they suffered one sobering wipeout after another.

Color the 49ers humbled but still undefeated (2-0) after escaping Los Angeles (Inglewood, technically) with a 30-23 win over the super-surprising Rams.

Optimists will chalk it up as a successful day for the 49ers. They eliminated their biggest obstacle to success: Overconfidence.

For most of the first three quarters, the 49ers couldn’t shake the Rams, who seemed to be about to bust up a 20-20 tie with another score. Then, a series of breaks, starting with a bull’s-eye pass from Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford bouncing off the chest of running back Kyren Williams and into the welcoming arms of Isaiah Oliver.

The Rams never recovered, and the 49ers slipped out of town, nursing their pride, but perhaps feeling a bit exposed.

The 49ers are riding a very impressive 12-game regular-season win streak, dating to last season, and are a perfect 9-0 in Brock Purdy starts (in games when he does not get injured), but their street cred and their confidence may have taken a hit.

Is that too negative? Maybe, but a Super Bowl juggernaut, which the 49ers appeared to be after their season-opening steamrolling of the Steelers in Pittsburgh, doesn’t get seriously challenged by the overmatched Rams.

For the 49ers, SoFi Stadium is as close as an NFL team comes to having a home-field advantage on the road. Niners fans always pack the place, and the team responds by making itself at home, winning the previous eight regular-season games going into Sunday’s action. The 49ers made it nine in a row, but this was anything but comfortable.

The Rams are a team in transition. After winning the Super Bowl in the 2021 season — knocking out the 49ers to get there — the Rams slipped last season. This year, they’ve suited up a bunch of guys named Who? They seemed to be gearing up for next year, when they get out of salary-cap jail, and, for the first time in 10 years, have a first-round draft pick. On Sunday they were also without the unstoppable Cooper Kupp, out with an injury.

But the Rams have a fine coach (Sean McVay), an excellent quarterback (Stafford), a gritty defense and a budding superstar in rookie wideout Puka Nacua (15 catches for 147 yards), with the hottest two-game career start in NFL history. And that was enough to make the game a nail-biter for three quarters.

The question now is, where does this leave the 49ers? Shook up, or still a Super Bowl favorite because a win is a win?

Probably more the former than the latter. With a new insight into what needs cleaning up.

Two of the top clean-up items to address: The pass defense. And Purdy’s touch on the long ball.

Purdy overthrew three receivers running deep routes on what could have been touchdowns. He has done a lot of work on his passing technique, adding a remarkable 5 mph of zip to his ball over the last year or so, and maybe he’s got too much hot sauce.

Still, it can’t be too discouraging, that when your too-good-to-be-true quarterback finally comes back to earth a bit, looks less than perfect, he still emerges with a win, and a passer rating in the 90-plus range (93.1, after averaging 117.5 his first six reg-season starts).

Purdy wasn’t going to be perfect forever, and it’s probably a relief for the 49ers that when the kid did make a few mistakes, they didn’t cost them the game, and they didn’t cost him his composure.

Purdy also survived the National TV Commercial Debut Jinx. His ad for Toyota trucks ran during the telecast, a sign that Purdy has arrived as a star, and also a sign that he can drive a new vehicle.

So we’re twisting it back around here. Maybe this game wasn’t a blow to the 49ers’ confidence as much as a wakeup call. The 49ers’ defense stiffened in the second half, a good sign that they made adjustments. Their offense wasn’t stopped in the second half by Rams’ defensive coordinator mastermind Raheem Morris, as the Seahawks were the previous week.

Also, it looks like no serious injuries were sustained by the 49ers, which, considering their history, might be the best news of all.

And when the 49ers flew back to the Bay Area, the 49ers didn’t have to check their egos at the baggage counter after escaping L.A. with a win. Those were small enough for carry-on.

A NINERS FAN WRITES:

My take aways from the game today

1. Defense was playing 7 to 9 yards off the ball in the first half. We gave up at least 5 to 7 yards over and over due to the cushion.

2. Defense made alot of mistakes BUT held a great offensive team to 20 points. 2nd half they were much better.

3. Moody shouldn't be a point of concern anymore. He's been money.

4. Purdy missed THREE potential TDs overthrowing receivers. Hopefully he adds the over the top skillset to his game. It looked shakey today.

5. Kyle Shanahan subconsciously continues to take his foot off the gas when we are winning.

6. Pass rush wasn’t there the first half. Got better the second half. They made plays when they needed to. Got TWO gift wrapped interceptions.

The main thing is WE WON! I am certain they will look at game film and correct the issues. The Rams played decent BUT imagine IF Purdy hits two of those overthrows over TDs. Game wouldn't have been close. Quest for six!

‘DROP EVERYTHING NOW AND READ THIS’: The Backstory Of That Viral Article On Listening To Taylor Swift In Prison

by Jason Fagone

Late last year, not long after Taylor Swift released her album “Midnights,” the New Yorker editor Daniel Gross got an email out of the blue. It was from a former colleague involved with the Prison Journalism Project, a nonprofit that trains incarcerated people to report on life behind bars and helps publish their work in mainstream outlets.

Attached to the email was a brief, unusual essay by an incarcerated man, explaining why each song on “Midnights” resonated with him.

“It was quite a short piece,” recalled Gross, 32. “I wasn’t sure.” But he began exchanging messages with the author, Joe Garcia — a former marijuana dealer and 53-year-old resident of San Quentin State Prison, serving a life sentence for second-degree murder in the 2003 killing of a fellow dealer in Los Angeles.

Today, nine months after the New Yorker first connected with Garcia, a reimagined version of his piece, “Listening to Taylor Swift in Prison,” has become a surprise viral hit for the magazine and a topic of intense discussion wherever Taylor Swift fans congregate online, especially on X, the app formerly known as Twitter.

“Drop everything now and read this omg,” one Swiftie urged her followers, as others chimed in with praise and delight.

“Fully cried in public reading this through.”

“Tears welling in my eyes, pausing for a deep breath …”

“This essay feels like holding hands with Joe Garcia across the bars, one Swiftie to another.”

“Who would have thought that there would be Swifties in prison?”

Said the author, Garcia, “Something I learned years ago is that almost everybody has some Swiftie in them, one way or another.”

Garcia spoke with the Chronicle last week in phone calls from his two-man cell at High Desert State Prison in Lassen County, where he was transferred in July from San Quentin. He said he’s glad that people like the piece, though he can’t see the responses in real time: “We don’t have internet here.”

Aside from delighting Swifties, Garcia’s piece has heartened advocates of prison journalism. They have argued for years that many of the 2 million Americans behind bars can produce valuable reporting, shedding light on the prison system in ways that are difficult or impossible for outside journalists to replicate and allowing incarcerated people to have a voice in the national debate about criminal justice reform.

“The funny thing about the story is that it’s a very universal one, even at the same time it’s a very particular story,” said editor Gross, a veteran of public radio whose work has often focused on the criminal justice system. “Most readers can’t relate to going to prison for murder, but they can relate to everything else.”

On one level, the piece is a love letter to Swift’s music, a narrative of what happens when her songs seep into a life and stick. In his early 30s, when Garcia was first locked up, he dismissed her as a “little blonde fluff,” he writes; eventually, he heard songs from “Red” on a cheap radio shared with a snoring cellmate.

“There was, in her voice, something intuitively pleasant and genuine and good, something that implies happiness or at least the possibility of happiness,” he writes.

But the piece goes beyond Swift, tracing his relationship with a longtime sweetheart on the outside. Garcia also reflects on his years in prison — his crime, his regrets, the possibility of change — as he approaches a parole board hearing, and a chance for release, early next year.

Along the way, he transports readers into his prison world with dozens of little details about the people he meets there and the underground economy that allows him to stay current with Swift’s catalog. A prisoner named G.L., “one of the best electronic fix-it guys I’ve ever met,” helped him rig up an old-school boombox; later, when “Lover” was released, he begged his cousin for an MP3 player, which sustained him during 2020’s massive COVID outbreak in the prison, when Garcia “shivered and sweated through a brain fog for two weeks.”

It wasn’t easy to get the New Yorker essay published, either. Garcia and his collaborators said they needed to overcome a number of challenges.

Staff at the Prison Journalism Project, or PJP, have known Garcia for years, including managing editor Kate McQueen and co-founder and editor-in-chief Yukari Kane, who met him through writing programs offered at San Quentin. Kane taught a journalism course that Garcia ultimately helped to run, and McQueen worked with him as an adviser to San Quentin News, a monthly prisoner-run newspaper that distributes 35,000 copies throughout the state. Garcia was the chair of the prison’s journalism guild and a staff writer for the paper with a knack for getting scoops.

“He always saw the potential of journalism from the inside,” Kane said. “He’s always been a great writer and reporter.”

Everyone around him also knew he was a huge Swift fan, and that he’d been trying to write about her for a while. When “Midnights” dropped, he gave PJP his personal essay. Thinking it had promise, the PJP’s Monica Campbell shared it with Gross.

At first, the New Yorker editor didn’t communicate directly with Garcia. PJP mediated their conversations, providing Garcia with blank sheets of paper and stamps and transcribing his mailed responses into Google Docs or Word. “It was a lot of drafts, a lot of questions going back and forth,” Kane said.

Garcia would write in a neat longhand — “I’m very control-freakish and perfectionist,” he said — and Gross would reply with questions about specific lines. What did you feel here? What were you thinking at this moment? Many of Garcia’s answers, Gross said, “were nice, clear, evocative and usable within the piece.”

The New Yorker editor wanted to pivot from Garcia’s focus on “Midnights” and turn the review into a narrative with a chronological arc. Garcia was game — narratives are “more my jam anyway,” he said — although, according to Gross, the incarcerated man found a subsequent edit “a little jarring. What happened to my old piece?” (Like the music of Swift, it seems, the writerly suspicion of editors is universal.)

Soon, however, Garcia warmed to the process. “I just totally trust his vision,” he said of Gross, calling their collaboration “a joy and a pleasure.”

Eventually, the two men communicated directly, sometimes speaking on prison phone lines, with periodic interruptions from a stern computer voice reminding them that the call was being monitored. Other times Gross sent edits digitally, in 2,000-character chunks, through a limited text messaging app available to prisoners. One full draft of the manuscript arrived on Garcia’s side with some of the sections missing; the app had apparently flagged some of the words as suspicious.

Garcia said that until his transfer to High Desert two months ago, when he got access to the app, he did all of his scribbling “under the worst conditions, mentally and physically” — confined in San Quentin’s harsh Administrative Segregation unit, colloquially known as the Hole. He spent seven months there, starting last December. Prison staff told Garcia the move was necessary for his own protection. (Garcia was president of San Quentin’s Inmate Advisory Council, a group that mediates between prisoners and the administration.)

The Hole proved a less than ideal place to write for the New Yorker. Any material that can be fashioned into a weapon is not permitted there. Garcia wrote with the ink tubes of ballpoint pens whose plastic housings had been confiscated by prison staff, he said. He wasn’t allowed to bring his MP3 player, so to make sure he was accurately quoting Swift’s lyrics, he listened to “a crappy little” AM/FM radio powered by a hand crank, hoping a station would play “Anti-Hero” and “Karma.” He slept during the day with earplugs in and wrote at night — the only quiet time in the echoey unit — using a cardboard box on the floor as a desk.

“I really needed to write,” Garcia said. “That’s the one thing that helps me get away from all this nonsense.”

Judging by the online reaction among Swifties, his labors have paid off. Garcia has become an unlikely conduit between a pair of communities that chat about Swift incessantly. The same debates her fans are having online are happening in the prison yard, and now these two groups, across a great gulf, can sort of talk to each other.

On Reddit, for instance, one Swiftie found validation in Garcia’s positive mention of the hip-hop remix of “Bad Blood,” an oft-maligned track that he writes is one of his cellmates’ favorite Swift songs. (“That’s the s— right there,” a neighbor tells Garcia. “Who would have thought?”) Typed the Reddit user, with a triumphant flourish: “It’s easily the best song on 1989 and y’all refuse to believe it.”

Other Swift fans are discussing Garcia’s omission of Swift’s COVID-era albums “Folklore” and “Evermore.” Was he not able to access those newer songs in prison, or did he hear them and just not dig the folky stuff?

“Like i need to hear his thoughts about epiphany??? peace???? EXILE??????” a Swiftie wrote on Twitter.

“This is absolutely a necessity,” replied another.

Garcia confirmed that he has not only heard “Folklore” and “Evermore” but considers them “all one thing” because their sound is so cohesive; he said an early draft of his essay mentioned both. His favorite track from the folk albums, he said, is “Invisible String”: Isn’t it just too pretty to think / all along there was some invisible string, tying you to me?

For the journalists who helped Garcia get his piece into the world, the experience feels like a milestone, proof that prison writing can connect with broad audiences. The essay has been one of the New Yorker’s most popular this month — “It’s a big piece for us,” Gross said — and the magnitude of the response has surprised even the PJP.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled,” Kane said. “I hope it opens doors.” Garcia is working on new pieces, including a narrative for the California magazine Alta Journal that he’s co-writing with the PJP’s McQueen. Being a writer is “a lifestyle” for him, he said. “That’s just who I am.”

Gross added that the success of the piece has gotten him thinking about how to get more people to care about examinations of the prison system. If an incarceration story doesn’t have Taylor Swift in it, how do you sustain readers’ attention?

“That part is unsolved. But I’m just very happy that this happened. It’s a special thing for Joe. But in a bigger way, it’s an important piece,” Gross said. “It’s not one you expect to be important, but it means a lot to a lot of people.”

ON-LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

A few days ago I cooked a steak for myself and a friend, and I have to say that I felt much more energetic the next day. The same goes after I eat a plate of liver, or other organ meats. The latter are cheap. There are very nice ways to cook them.

This a.m. I am going to the next town, where there is a family-owned supermarket with its own butcher/meat department, to buy some organ meats. They sell beef liver, chicken livers, chicken hearts, etc. from the chickens that they purchase whole. Most people are disgusted by organ meats, but it used to be a nutrition rule of thumb to eat organ meats once a week and also fish once a week.

UKRAINE, SUNDAY, 17TH SEPTEMBER

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has warned that we must "prepare ourselves for a long war" in Ukraine. His comments come with Kyiv's counteroffensive struggling to make major gains.

Russia launched an attack on Ukraine’s border regions overnight, including agricultural facilities near Odesa. Russia has stepped up its attacks in the area after withdrawing from the Black Sea grain deal, which ensured safe passage for vessels.

Stark video released by Ukrainian soldiers shows that little remains in liberated village near Bakhmut.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will address the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Tuesday to appeal for more support for Ukraine as it continues its counteroffensive. Later in the week, Zelensky will travel to Washington to address US senators.

— CNN

REMEMBERING KEN KESEY ON HIS BIRTHDAY

September 17, 1935 – November 10, 2001

The man who discovered the 60s

…but first, the jock

As the counter-cultural view expanded during the 60s, one of the divides between the status quo and those who supported new views was between athletes (who typically sided with the status quo) and, for lack of a better word, nerds. By nerd, here, I mean anyone whose views and preferences put them outside the views and preferences of those around them.

Ken Kesey was a bright and athletic person. Those two characteristics are often and unfairly viewed as opposites of each other. He was a great wrestler in college who won several awards as a wrestler. He’d even qualified for the Olympics, but an injury prevented his participation.

The Nerd

At the University of Oregon, Kesey majored in speech and communication. He loved literature as well. His preference for Ray Bradbury’s science fiction expanded to include Ernest Hemingway and other modern fiction writers.

Non-grad grad student

After his graduation from Oregon, Kesey began a non-degree program in creative writing at Stanford University. He lived most of that time on Perry Lane, an enclave of cottages near the university and where many “outsiders” lived. Also living there was Ken Babbs and Larry McMurtry, two people who would play a huge part in Kesey’s future adventures.

Though some faculty members saw Kesey as an emerging talent, others thought him a threat. A typical reaction by the status quo to a non-traditional view.

Despite the intolerance, Kesey continued taking classes.

Project MKULTRA

Anyone who has taken graduate courses knows that finding a source of cash always hums in the background.

Ken Kesey began to volunteer in a drug testing program. It was the top-secret Project MKULTRA, a federal government program aimed at discovering and developing drugs to use in the Cold War. The goal was mind control and the program used various approaches, including some methods that could only be described as torture.

Psychoactive drugs such as LSD, mescaline, and psilocybin were typically part of the protocol.

Kesey’s use of these drugs, his job at the Menlo Park Veteran’s Hospital, and his creative ability led to his final draft of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the book that put Kesey’s name on the literary map.

Further or Furthur

As anyone who has the wonderful tool of Spellcheck knows, our ability to spell correctly runs up against the English language’s failure to pronounce words as spelled. Roy Sebern learned that when he first spelled the bus’s name. The bus was a 1939 International Harvester school bus.

Kesey had written a second book, Sometimes a Great Notion, and he decided to combine business with pleasure and travel cross-country to New York for the publication party.

Kesey’s crew, known as the Merry Pranksters, fixed the bus with video and audio equipment. On the Road hero Neal Cassady was the driver. The story became part of Tom Wolfe’s famous Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. Not until 2011 were the disjointed audio and filmed pieces put together and released as the documentary Magic Trip.

7940 La Honda Road

After the demolition of the Perry Lane cottages, Ken Kesey moved to La Honda. It was there that the so-called Acid Tests emanated. With LSD as the cocktail, black lights, strobe lights, fluorescent paint, video cameras, tape recorders, and the music of the Grateful Dead combined to make a grand experiment.

Ken Kesey

Kesey gradually exited from the public eye. An Acid Test graduation, a marijuana conviction, a faked suicide, and escape to Mexico, his return to the US and arrest, a 5-month imprisonment, and a return to Oregon where he became a family man raising children and writing.

In 1992 doctors diagnosed Kesey with diabetes. He continued to be an active writer and activist, but mainly from his Oregon home.

In 1998, he had a stroke and in October 2001 Kesey had surgery to remove a tumor. He died of complications on November 10, 2001, at age 66.

THE WORST FIRE IN BERKELEY HISTORY EXPLODED 100 YEARS AGO

by Peter Hartlaub

It was Sept. 17, 1923, and David Brower stood on the roof of the Berkeley Daily Gazette near campus, watching nearly every house on his paper route burning to the ground.

As the 11-year-old worried about his own Haste Street home in North Berkeley — his father and older brother would successfully fight to save it — Brower, who would become the Sierra Club’s first executive director, dutifully went to work.

“As dusk fell,” Brower recalled in a 1991 San Francisco Chronicle opinion column, “I was walking the streets shouting, ‘Extra! Extra! Read all about the fire!’ and selling all the papers I could carry.”

In the aftermath of the blaze, the Chronicle called the 1923 Berkeley inferno “the worst fire the East Bay has ever known,” a title it carried for nearly 70 years until the devastating 1991 Oakland Fire killed 25 people.

More than 600 homes in 50 square blocks were destroyed in the residential Cragmont neighborhood of Berkeley northeast of campus, reportedly rendering half of the university’s faculty homeless.

But the finer details of the fire are even more startling, filled with astonishing turns and moments of courage, while carrying some strong lessons for the future. (Which mostly went unheeded.)

Sept. 17, 1923, was a fire season nightmare; warm with very strong winds. Scores of small blazes had ignited throughout the region; Bay Area firefighters were busy attacking spot fires in San Francisco and a larger East Oakland fire that required heavy resources to stop it from consuming Mills College.

But the biggest fire was growing three miles north of Berkeley, in rural Wildcat Canyon, after breaking out around noon. The fast-moving wall of flames descended like an ambush, reaching residential streets with little warning less than two hours later.

“Within a few hours 6,000 persons were rendered homeless, millions of dollars worth of property was destroyed, and two persons are supposed to have lost their lives as the flames bit deep into the heart of the city before 7,500 firefighters rallied to victory,” the Chronicle reported the next day.

Firefighters from San Francisco, Oakland, Albany and Richmond would join the fight later that night — with the S.F. contingent bringing two truckloads of dynamite that would prove vital in saving downtown and the UC Berkeley campus.

But for the first few hours, Berkeley was on its own. The situation was so dire that university president W.W. Campbell issued an emergency order suspending classes shortly after noon, recruiting 5,000 students to help fight the fire.

The dramatic and heroic moments that followed are mostly lost in time. But the Chronicle described a scene of incredible bravery, with sorority and fraternity members charging into the fire zone even as their own houses burned to the ground.

A Chronicle article headlined “Students Risk Lives To Help Fight Flames” described a scene that resembled worker ants serving their queen:

“No sooner had the flames swept down upon the fashionable residence districts north of the university campus than virtually every student in the institution responded to a special call and … continually risked their lives to aid the stricken families, almost all of which were strange to them.”

The Chronicle reported that every firefighter was accompanied by 10 students, who knocked on doors, led fellow citizens to safety and often dragged the entire contents of homes to university lawns and nearby parks, where Victrola record players and pianos that weighed hundreds of pounds clustered together on the grass.

The university’s former president, Benjamin Ide Wheeler, dispatched dozens of students to his North Berkeley home, asking them to save as much of his library as possible, dangling the reward of “a new box of cigars on the library table.” With his four-bedroom house torched but part of his library and much of the furniture saved, Wheeler was seen passing cigars and smoking with the students outside the fire zone.

Among the student heroes was 17-year-old tennis prodigy Helen Wills, who had just won her first U.S. national championship. As she joined her sorority sisters and helped firefighters, a hot cinder burned her eye, starting rumors that her playing career was over. (She recovered quickly, and would go on to win 30 more grand slam titles.)

Dry shingle roofs and ample foliage surrounding the hillside homes fed the fire, and water pressure quickly dropped to a trickle. Most citizens who saved their structures, including Brower’s father, used wet towels or blankets to stamp out floating embers that fell on their homes.

The post-fire scene was almost too devastating for prose. The Chronicle described “a city of chimneys.” Brick fireplaces were the only surviving landmarks on blocks where trees and homes had been reduced to ash. More than 80 university professors lost their homes, and 13 sorority and fraternity houses, two churches and the fire station also burned. Initial damage estimates topped $10 million. (Nearly $200 million in 2023 dollars.)

U.S. Army commandant George H. Brett passed over the wreckage by plane traveling from Crissy Field, and reported back on the destruction: “The havoc in the wake of the Berkeley fire brought vividly to my mind the scenes in devastated France following the World War.”

The fire advanced so fast, residents were sure in the early hours that downtown and the university would be consumed before nightfall. But after hours in the furnace, fortune finally shined on Berkeley. A dynamited firebreak near Hearst Avenue along the campus border halted the fire’s advance, followed by a shift in the weather.

“Suddenly, at about four in the afternoon, as I remember it, the miracle happened,” Brower wrote. “I shouted to the paper carriers below me, ‘The wind is changing!’ ”

By nightfall, the fire was under control, and the priorities shifted to protecting what was saved: Mountains of evacuated possessions remained on campus. Soldiers ferried from the Presidio warned “looters will be shot,” and more university students stood guard overnight.

But the Berkeley residents interviewed, including some who lost everything, offered surprising optimism.

The Chronicle interviewed a white-haired woman, sitting in a rocking chair on the lawn outside president Campbell’s home, rocking back and forth while holding a small gray kitten. A caged canary behind her was singing.

“I could not let my pets die in that furnace,” the woman said. “My house is gone, my furniture and my clothing. I have no son or daughter. … But I still have my health, and my pets are here, and enough money to see me through my declining years. So I’ll be alright.”

Another woman huddled in a tent city on campus where hundreds sought shelter, had escaped with only the clothes on her back. Handed a Chronicle paper, she immediately recognized her home on fire in a photograph.

“Oh, there’s my house in flames,” she said. “Well it is to laugh. There are so many of us that we are all in the same boat. There is nothing to do but smile and smile and smile.”

Campbell, in the most tone-deaf move of the night, declared that university classes would resume the next morning uninterrupted.

The Chronicle had reported two deaths the day after the fire — including a very specific eyewitness account of a student falling into an inferno through a collapsing roof. But after a detailed head count and days of sifting through the smoking rubble, fire officials shared some amazing news: The fire had resulted in zero fatalities.

As Berkeley rebuilt almost immediately, officials pledged to make changes, enacting emergency ordinances that fined homes with overgrown foliage and outlawed dry shingle roofs. Both rules lasted less than a decade.

Brower, the Berkeley Daily Gazette paperboy, went on to become an environmentalist and lead the Sierra Club. He remained in the Berkeley hills, but admitted in his 1991 column that he didn’t learn the most crucial lesson from 1923. When the 1991 Oakland Fire started, Brower’s home had redwood siding and a dry shingle roof — as susceptible to a fire as the homes Berkeley lost in 1923.

“Our house on a street that is part of Berkeley’s twisty maze was spared,” Brower said of the 1991 blaze. “We have wept at the losses many of our friends suffered, and I am afraid we will continue to. We had better take our own advice.”

(SF Chronicle)

FRITZ LEIBER'S "COMING ATTRACTION"

Walter and Matt on the Lovecraft devotee's mordant and predictive work of "social science fiction," describing post-nuclear relations between the sexes

by Matt Taibbi & Walter Kirn

Matt Taibbi:This week we read a story I’d never heard of. For me, this is one of the favorite stories that we’ve done on this show so far. It’s by an author named Fritz Leiber, and the story is called Coming Attraction. This is an admirer and devotee of H.P. Lovecraft, a very interesting dude and kind of tragic, but we’ll get to that. Walter, can you tell people about Coming Attraction?

Walter Kirn:It’s a very twisted story. It is very cynical, and it’s what I call social science fiction, in that it’s really not the technology in the story that’s interesting. It’s what’s happened to people in this hypothetical future.

So you’ve got a guy, he’s out on the street, New York City. New York City is recovering barely from nuclear war. The Empire State Building is a stump. There are areas of high radiation that you have to go around. And he’s looking at a woman standing in the street, as a car sweeps by her, a car with hooks welded on the side, that grab her skirt. And he sort of pulls her away and rescues her. And she’s wearing a mask, because in this version of the American future, all women wear masks. And sex is kind of outlawed for some reason. There’s a kind of prohibition on sex, such that it’s been driven underground. Women wear masks, people to get their ya-yas have to drive by with hooks on their cars to pull skirts off.

And so, the guy saves this masked woman and she then says, “Hey, can you come over tonight to my place? There’s maybe some other way you could help me.” Now, the guy, the narrator, is a British businessman in New York, and he’s here to trade British electronics, which is kind of a joke.

Matt Taibbi:That was the least believable part of the story!

Walter Kirn:For American wheat, because at this stage in what is an ongoing World War III between Russia and New York, where there’s a big contest for the moon going on. They’ve kind of devastated Earth and moved on to the moon as battlefield. And somehow America needs these wanted British electronics, and this guy’s come to get wheat for them.

Anyway, he goes over to the woman’s apartment that night, saying he hasn’t had a date in years. Oh my gosh, this is one sex-starved society. It’s not so bad in Britain supposedly, but he’s been in America for a while. And he talks to the woman and she says, “I got to get out of here. I got to get out of the United States. Is there any way I can get a British passport?” And he’s like, “No, you can’t get one.” She says, “How do I get an American passport?” And he says, “Well, Americans don’t like people to travel anymore. I don’t know.” Anyway, they decide to go out to some weird club, which is an underground speakeasy fight club place, because the major entertainment in this New York of the future is this weird kind of fixed UFC wrestling that is between men and women, in which…

Matt Taibbi: “Masked wrestling.”

Walter Kirn:Yeah, masked wrestling in which men beat up women. Women win a lot of the time, but sometimes men do, and they press their advantage and it’s horrible. And they go over to this nightclub in a cab when the cabbie’s watching one of these fights, and the woman’s just glued to it. So we’re in an almost official S&M dystopia after this World War III exchange. And the Brit, the narrator, is just really funny. He’s mordant and dry and very black in his humor. He even has a line where he says, “There are times when an Englishman simply must be maltreated.” And anybody who knows any Englishman knows it’s fricking true.

Matt Taibbi:We should all have one, like The Gimp in Pulp Fiction, in the basement.

Walter Kirn:Well, and there’s another line that he uses that I just have to quote where he tells the woman, “‘I’m not sure you’d like England,’ I said. ‘The austerity is altogether different from your American brand of misery.’” And what he means by the American brand of misery is what’s going on in this club, which is full of these weird gangster wrestler tuffs who beat up women and get beaten up by them.

And a crew of these guys comes over to the table, and the Brit stands to protect this poor woman who has already suffered the hook to her skirt in the street. And instead, he watches as this gross wrestler, it kind of reminds me a little of the Ukraine spokesman frankly, sits down next to the woman and starts stroking her hair. And the Brit is just astonished. He’s like, “Why is she letting herself be petted by this abuser? What’s with these people? I thought she wanted me to rescue her. What sick society have I found myself in?” And then, the guy kind of turns to the Brit and says, “She likes it, man. She likes being mistreated” and dah, dah, dah, dah. And then, somehow, I can’t remember how, the mask of the woman comes off. And the Brit, who has been coveting the thought of a bedtime romp...

Matt Taibbi:Bless him. These last lines are so horrible.

Walter Kirn:He compares her taking off the mask to turning over a rock and finding the ground covered in grubs.

Matt Taibbi:Let’s just read the line:

The eyebrows were untidy and the lips chapped. But as for the general expression, as for the feelings crawling and wriggling across it -

Have you ever lifted a rock from damp soil? Have you ever watched the slimy white grubs?

Walter Kirn:Right. And so, it’s not just pure horror of the feminine that’s being expressed here, or Lookism in extremists. There is the excuse that this nuclear exchange has scarred a lot of people, and that maybe one of the reasons women wear masks is to create an equal playing field between those who’ve been scarred and those who are beautiful. But nonetheless, the guy doesn’t spare any language in making vivid her ugliness to the reader.

And then, the end of the story is basically saying, “I got to get back to England.”

What you realize is that you’ve gotten this multimodal story about how fucking weird America is, and how its weirdness has been exaggerated and intensified by nuclear war.

Matt Taibbi:The World War III convention is kind of a standard in almost every work of dystopian fiction. But there’s a lot of other stuff in here that’s kind of suspiciously right on the money about modern society. We are still… basically he describes an ongoing dualistic power struggle between us and Russia that’s just endless.

But there’s a sort of fear that runs through everybody. You can’t tell exactly what they’re saying. There’s a scene where it says the second policeman said, “Girls going down the street bare from the neck up” was his quote. It was not clear whether he viewed the prospect with relish or moral distaste, likely both.

This is the way people express themselves now on all kinds of things. You’re afraid to say exactly what you mean about certain issues, and everything’s been de-eroticized… There’s this total elimination of things that we would once have considered kind of normal erotic relations between the sexes, like the Englishman’s chivalrous attempt to get up and protect the woman at the table is suddenly markedly out of place in this new dystopia. That seems to be kind of true, too. There’s just a lot that he got right.

But as you say, there’s also this very witty writing style full of great one-liners. There’s another one, “An Englishman shouldn’t lie, at least not on impulse.” Which I thought was really funny. But of all the dystopian literature, this one got the relations between the sexes the closest, although they all kind of have this theme, don’t they?

Walter Kirn:Okay, Matt. This story was written in 1950. Okay? 1984 was published in what year, ‘48?

Matt Taibbi:Something like that.

Walter Kirn:Wasn’t the idea that it was reversing the numbers in 48 to 84? In any case, let’s look that up. It’s as though the Englishman has come from Winston Smith’s England, London, to a New York that isn’t covered in 1984. See, in 1984, we don’t know what’s going on in New York. But I think is Leiber’s either conscious or unconscious attempt to show us what’s happening in the dystopia across the Atlantic.

Matt Taibbi:That’s interesting.

Walter Kirn:And it’s not the gray somnambulistic, dreary affair that it is in England. It’s a kind of raucoused 1920s meets post-nuclear destruction, in which people are going to nightclubs, beating each other up, watching wrestling, drinking, having weird sex, maybe not even sex, because he’d suggested like in 1984, there’s kind of an anti-sex league at work in the United States.

Matt Taibbi:Right. Yeah.

Walter Kirn:But the United States, instead of reacting by just repressing it as they have over in England, or being completely furtive about it as they are in 1984, has developed this toxic underground of sexualized wrestling.

Matt Taibbi:Yeah. Right. At least in 1984, it actually was kind of an erotic atmosphere a little bit, because they were so repressed you could at least imagine it. Here they’re playing out this sort of speakeasy underworld, but it’s like speakeasy asexuality or it’s confused. It’s like violence in place of sexuality.

He talks about this though. They’re playing the end of an “anti-sex song” being sung by some religionist half a block up from the circle and cross insignia of a femalist temple. That’s odd. But yeah, it’s differentiated from the kind of gray, quasi-Soviet misery of victory gin and crappy cigarettes that you got in 1984. This is something else. It’s like a play-acted version of sexual relations that’s just as horrifying and just as unpleasant, but it’s different from the British version. And it feels very close to the current situation when you read it.

Walter Kirn:It really does. Our era of billion dollar porntubes available on every computer, UFC fighting, strange arguments over gender and power that have extended to every single aspect of life. And also, but like 1984, there’s a sense of sort of infrastructural deterioration. Everybody wears a badge or some kind of patch on their clothing that shows how much radiation they’ve gotten that day. And this guy is sort of suspicious that the Americans have set the level of radiation too low. He’s gotten his fill, but he doesn’t worry about it, stiff upper lip and everything. But the Americans have sort of panicked about radiation to some extent.

When he goes to the restaurant with the lady, they order some miserable, fake fancy dish to eat because you get the sense there are food shortages, and it comes and it’s got ice crystals in it like it hasn’t thawed correctly. They didn’t have microwaves in those days, so it was kind of startling to see that detail, which we’re all familiar with from microwave cooking. But he says there just aren’t enough handymen left to keep things really rolling. But they’re still trying to be fancy, whereas over in Winston Smith’s England, it was just this pallid victory gin and crappy cigarettes. But this was, “The sauce on my breast of chicken was a delicious steaming compound of almonds, soy, and ginger. But something must’ve been wrong with the radionic oven that had thawed and heated it, for at the first bite, I clenched a kernel of ice in the meat. These delicate mechanisms need constant repair and there aren’t enough mechanics.”

And that’s just what we’ve been talking about for a few weeks now, the incompetence and breakdown trend in America at the moment.

Matt Taibbi:I forgot to mention, is that the widespread, jarring breakdown of things we used to consider normal, like cities that were once kind of livable suddenly crumbling and dysfunctional. That’s in here as well. And there’s a line here which I think is interesting, “The masks, which are definitely not as the Soviets claim a last invention of capitalist degeneracy, but a sign of great psychological insecurity.” I think there’s something to that too, that a lot of the crumblingness of modern America is a reflection of something that’s also falling apart within ourselves.

And then, he has the description inside the club. “A man and two girls had paused opposite our table. The girls were tall and wolfish looking with spangled masks. The man stood jauntily between them like a fox on its hind legs.” This is like everything is wrong at a place. It doesn’t strike you the way a description of say, a 1920s juke joint or gin joint. Everything’s backwards and off about this world. And man, that feels familiar.

Walter Kirn:Yeah. He’s suggesting that America has become a primal jungle. It’s a weird perversion of the frontier, this vision. It sounds like a saloon in Tombstone or something, only with very ugly dance hall girls in masks and freaky wrestler guys who either like to beat up women or like to get beaten up by them. And we see it all, as I say, through the eyes of this kind of repressed Englishman who’s just at the end going, “Get me out of this fucking circus.” We had the movie Brazil, which was kind of a take on 1984, push the surrealism.

But this isn’t a very surreal story. Some of the things like guys driving around with hooks catching women’s skirts seem a little imaginative. But at the same time, it gives you the feel of a night out in a screwed up, bombed out, mentally twisted American place. And it feels very true. And as you go through it, the pleasure of the story is, you at first think that this is a kind of, as you say, outrageous scenario. But you start recognizing point by point, paragraph by paragraph, similarities to our world today. And it was written in 1950. I’m not sure how far it was supposed to be set into the future. I didn’t get any cues on that, but he did talk about radionic ovens, so I guess there must have been, even in 1950, some expectation that microwaves would come along.

Anyway, I love the story, it’s atmosphere, it’s language, it’s culture clash, it’s truth about American degeneracy and the way it’s sort of mixed up with American aggression. And his thesis that what will happen if there’s a World War III is that it will kind of bring out the worst in all of us; whereas the conventional British view was, “We’ll just live in these gray ruins and troop along like ghosts and keep our heads down and maybe have furtive little dalliances in rented rooms” like Winston does with Julia. But no, this is just some kind of WEF meets Dante meets Times Square horror show.

Matt Taibbi:I love that he is sort of a self-hating American, but he makes sure to whack the Englishman with a 2x4 every couple of paragraphs, which is really funny. It’s very in the spirit of an American author, humorously written, well put together, and as these dystopian stories go, very predictive.

Walter Kirn:Matt, you suggested earlier that you were going to say something about Leiber himself.

Matt Taibbi:No, I looked him up because I didn’t know a whole lot about him.

Walter Kirn:Yeah.

Matt Taibbi:And he had troubles. He was found living in a single room apartment in San Francisco with only books to cover the squalor on the walls. He was an alcoholic. He was basically in this debilitated situation among other things because of barbiturates… And he was living off, I guess, royalties from Dungeons & Dragons, which used some of his characters. So he had a tough time, didn’t really get into why exactly that was. I don’t really know a whole lot about him, but I think it seems like there are a lot of these writers, dystopian writers, who kind of end up that way. PKD certainly did his share of amphetamines.

Walter Kirn:So did Joan Didion and Susan Sontag. It wasn’t that.

Matt Taibbi:Right. Of, course.

Walter Kirn:Who were trained to take pep pills. And Jean-Paul Sartre, I was told the other day, wrote Being and Nothingness on speed. We’ll see if that’s true, but I like the idea. But science fiction fans might quibble here, because Leiber was for a while, one of the great literary innovators in the sci-fi genre. He’s credited with the sword and sorcery mode as his personal invention. And when he fell apart from alcoholism and pills and so on, he had already created a pretty extensive body of work. And he had a lost period, but he came back. So, so productive was he and so long was his career, he started as an actor actually, that he was able really to have a great period followed by a long fallow period, followed by a comeback. And a writer of this vigor and intensity and imaginative, I don’t know, perversity could not be expected to have led a very simple life.

Matt Taibbi:True. And it’s also unusual to have that, what one friend of mine calls the “dragons n’ shit” genre mixed with the sort of future dystopic. That’s not a common combination, but I like it. It’s like Elmore Leonard’s westerns and modern crime stories. It’s always impressive when an author has total command of two different genres or multiple, different approaches. That’s very cool.

Walter Kirn:And if the dragon genre can actually be laid at Leiber’s feet, that makes him one of the five most influential authors of the 20th century. Because you pull away dragons from the library shelves and half the books disappear. Because we don’t call it science fiction anymore. We call it science fiction and fantasy, and that’s because of the dragon.

*Child Worshipping the Sun* by Julio Lopez Segura

56 Comments

Carrie Shattuck September 18, 2023

Nonsense trumps integrity
I’d just like to clarify that at the end of my statement I said ” whether elected or not” it was written as whether you like it or not.
On Monday, previous to the Board meeting, I contacted Cherie Johnson, acting HR Director to see if the department had been able to give input for the responses to the report and she related that they had.
I then contacted Supervisor Haschak to ask what his opinion was on this Grand Jury response. He had not read the responses yet so I read it to him. He was definitely concerned about the wording of the response and said he’d look into it.
I also contacted Supervisor Mulheren to get her opinion as this response reflected poorly on the Board. Her response was “it doesn’t do me any good to pull it because they likely won’t change it”.
Well, Haschak did pull it and it did get re-worded.

Reply
George Hollister September 18, 2023

As an outsider looking in, the. Grand Jury’s description of the county “work culture” appears accurate, and the BOS’ response rhymes, and is typical from those who create this work culture to begin with. A more pointed term for the Grand Jury’s “work culture” is usually called a toxic work environment. My suggestion to the Board, and the CEO is work with those you have, and begin the process of getting out of the hole we are in. Over time, the highest quality employees will emerge.

To berate existing employees, and demand standards that only exist in a healthy work environment, when that healthy environment currently does not exist, is just serving to dig the hole we are in deeper.

Reply
- Lazarus September 18, 2023
  
  I have known individuals who have served on grand juries. The people chosen are usually long retired and, in some cases, in their late 70s and beyond. The complaint from jurors is always the same. The Board of Supervisors either insults us outright or smugly dismisses our reports.
  Perhaps a change of demographics is in order. Our culture is changing. The social values are changing, and the attitude towards working conditions has changed.
  Baby Boomers, Gen-Xers, and others all have extremely mixed perspectives on American culture.
  Be well, and good luck,
  Laz
  
  Reply
  - Bruce Anderson September 18, 2023
    
    Mendo grand juries get no back-up from the judges appointing them and none from the DA. Court orders and a well placed threat to indict might get the supervisor’s attentions. As is, the GJ is merely an annual exercise in futility.
    
    Reply
    - Stephen Rosenthal September 18, 2023
      
      I always wonder why, when Nadel issues her annual recruitment plea, anyone would volunteer to be on that exercise in futility.
      
      Reply
Michael Koepf September 18, 2023

Anna Taylor. R.I.P. Spunky mind, gifted spirt in all she did.

Reply
Mazie Malone September 18, 2023

Re: Shasta County Man

He has been found safe, his mother is picking him up…

Thank God…..

mm💕

Reply
George Hollister September 18, 2023

The Berkeley Fire of 1923 resulted in the banning of wood shingle roofs in new construction in Berkeley. The problem of unmanaged native landscapes continued and resulted in the 1991 Oakland Fire. In neither case was “Climate Change” provided as an excuse for being irresponsible or oblivious about the potential for an abundance of fine fuels, particularly in the vicinity of homes, to create the potential for catastrophic, and tragic fire events.

Reply
Me September 18, 2023

Under Angelo’s reign, many employees participated in leadership trainings. Many of them at county expense. Most were really good. But none of us were allowed to use that knowledge to realistically change things for the better. Some of us tried within our spheres of influence and we had some great successes. But when the top leader, the creator and sustainer of the bad, abusive culture continued her wicked ways….well any attempts for positive change were met with making yourself a target and most targets were shot and buried, never to be heard of again. There is a very long list of victims over the years. And no one in charge cares. Business as usual. There are more souls to use, discourage and toss. Next!

Reply
- Mark Scaramella September 18, 2023
  
  Thanks. I meant to mention that in regard Ms. Johnson’s statement that they “share” information from the anniversary and exit interviews with department heads and the CEO/Board. Obviously, no one is going to say anything negative if their remarks are going to be “shared” with this management crew. Even the “exit” interviews are unlikely to be critical since nobody wants to jeopardize their references.
  
  Reply
  - George Hollister September 18, 2023
    
    Exit interviews will do nothing to reveal a toxic work environment, for the reasons stated. The fact that anyone in management believes they would, speaks poorly for management.
    
    Reply
Mazie Malone September 18, 2023

Re::: Catch of the day….

I am curious as to the AVA’s approach to choosing which inmates to post as our catch of the day? I mean do you randomly select persons to be highlighted, or is there a method to the choosing? With that being said you missed an important incarceration, Kendall Travis who is Jalahn Travis’s father and was arrested for arson! Kendall lived at the Orr Creek apartments where a resident Beth Lucas Planer last week wrote an open letter last about the drug activity and no wrap around services as promised!!

Then poor Jalahn was a wreck searching for his dad who was not there, the crisis line was called to help Jalahn who seemed to be unwell they did not answer, not the first time that’s happened. With my friend Jan McGourty taking time out to check at crisis why the crisis line was not answered they requested the reporting party to give me her number so crisis could call her back. They did call her back and their suggestion was to call the police. 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

I am going to say it again, things are not always what they seem. Must go beyond what is presented because everyone has an agenda to keep intact.

The crisis system response we have is not cohesive!!!

mm💕

Reply
- Bruce Anderson September 18, 2023
  
  We post all those posted by the Sheriff’s Department
  
  Reply
  - Mazie Malone September 18, 2023
    
    Lol…. Yes I know!! 😂✌️💕
    
    Reply
    - Stephen Rosenthal September 18, 2023
      
      Well if you know, then why did you ask?
      
      Reply
      - Mazie Malone September 18, 2023
        
        Oh my god … 😂😂🤦‍♀️
        
        I did not ask if they were chosen from the booking logs posted by the Sheriffs office, I know that! The original question was how does the AVA choose whom to share?
        
        mm💕🤘✌️
        
        Reply
        
        peter boudoures September 18, 2023
        
        They share everyone unless requested to not be shared
        
        Reply
        
        Mazie Malone September 18, 2023
        
        No they do not!!! Hence my original question of the protocol for choosing certain jailbirds… 🥰
        
        💕mm
        
        Reply
- PhiloFred September 18, 2023
  
  He was posted in yesterday’s AVA: “KENDALL TRAVIS, Ukiah. Arson of inhabited structure, possession of device for arson”
  
  Reply
  - Mazie Malone September 18, 2023
    
    Oh well that’s good I missed that one haha!!
    
    Reply
Stephen Rosenthal September 18, 2023

The 49ers will be fine. Truth be told they won by 10 points, but for some reason (wink, wink), Rams head coach Sean McVay decided to kick a meaningless field goal with 4 seconds left in the game to make the final score 30-23. The point spread favored the 49ers by 7 1/2. The NFL should look into that, but with their close ties to the gambling industry I’m sure they won’t.

Barring injury, Brock Purdy is a franchise quarterback. Christian McCaffrey is the most dynamic offensive player in the NFL. The receivers are spectacular, as is the defense. Bosa may appear to be invisible to the uninformed, but he’s still rounding into football shape after his holdout and is double or triple-teamed on almost every play. Now that he finally has a quarterback he trusts, Shanahan’s game plans are things of beauty for those of us who understand the intricacies of football.

So anyone who has their panties in a wad about Purdy’s overthrows on “sure touchdowns” or Stafford’s ability to pick apart the 49ers secondary, r-e-l-a-x. After 2 games I’m not saying they’ll win the Super Bowl, but I’m quite confident they’ll give it a good run.

Reply
- peter boudoures September 18, 2023
  
  Micah Parsons is triple teamed and dominates, hopefully Bosa doesn’t fizzle like his brother did. To be fair you can kick a field goal with 4-5 seconds and depending on the distance still have 1 second for an onside kick which could be turned into a TD. Never quit
  
  Reply
  - Stephen Rosenthal September 18, 2023
    
    Micah Parsons is a great player but didn’t hold out for the entire preseason, nor does he have to adjust to a new Defensive Coordinator. Last I checked, Bosa is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.
    
    I’m not buying your justification for the field goal with 4 seconds remaining. Even the announcers (who were heavily biased in LA’s favor imo) stated prior to the field goal that 4 seconds is not enough time to run another play, i.e., onside kick. I get he was hoping for a touchdown, but McVay could have tried the field goal 1-2 plays earlier and then had time for a few Hail Marys if they recovered the onside kick. Fishy stuff.
    
    Reply
    - peter boudoures September 18, 2023
      
      If you’re right about the gambling aspect i still only see it ass McVay sticking it to the niner fans who bet the over.
      Bosa has 5 games without a sack and gets paid 1.75m per game. I’m hoping he comes into form because it’s clear he isn’t out of shape.
      
      Reply
      - Lazarus September 18, 2023
        
        Boza:
        After following pro sports for decades, I’ve seen a pattern develop after a big contract signing, a SLUMP…
        Boza addressed the lack of his production when he met the Press post-game. He said in the games to come, he will do better. He also said, “A win is a win.”
        Regardless, for 25 or any age, he’s a wealthy guy.
        Be well, and good luck.
        Laz
        
        Reply
      - Stephen Rosenthal September 18, 2023
        
        Just to be clear, I did not have a bet riding on the outcome of the game, so no sour grapes involved. But I would wager that 9 out of 10 coaches would have handled it differently and just taken a knee rather than risk an injury on a meaningless score. I’m just saying that the NFL should look into it, like the overblown and ridiculous to-do and subsequent suspension of Brady for “Deflategate”. Within the last few years, the NFL has suspended a number of players for gambling (on other sports while at team facilities), some for as long as a year. Getting a “Move along, nothing to see here” on this one just raises my suspicions.
        
        Reply
Eric Sunswheat September 18, 2023

RE: Walter Kirn: Yeah. He’s suggesting that America has become a primal jungle. — Matt Taibbi & Walter Kirn
—>. September 15, 2023
This article is part of U.S. Democracy Day, a nationwide collaborative on Sept. 15, the International Day of Democracy, in which news organizations cover how democracy works and the threats it faces. To learn more, visit usdemocracyday.org…
If it garners enough signatures to get on the ballot next year, the “Open Primary Initiative” these Republicans fear so much would change a fundamental piece of Idaho’s democracy, altering who gets to vote and how their votes get counted.
In the primary, voters would be able to vote for any candidate, no matter their party. And the general election would be conducted through “ranked-choice voting,” letting voters rate four finalists from who most and least…
And yet, some moderate Republicans — including a long list of former Idaho state legislators and a former Idaho governor — have joined forces with progressives like Reclaim Idaho’s initiative maven Luke Mayville… “it will make it a lot harder for politicians who don’t represent the population to get elected.”
There’s the catch: It really is about changing the type of Republican who gets elected.
https://www.invw.org/2023/09/15/the-idaho-gop-fears-ranked-choice-voting-could-turn-idaho-blue/

RE: Walter and Matt on… predictive work of… describing post-nuclear relations between the sexes.
—> Friday, September 15, 2023 8:30 am. audio archive.
Women’s International News Gathering Service.
Gentle Behavior and Harmony Being the Basis of Social Relations. Matrix (the set of conditions that provides a system in which something grows or develops).
https://archive.kmudfm.org/

Reply
Stephen Rosenthal September 18, 2023

Laz and Peter,

Did either of you watch the Raiders game? In the brief time I watched, Jimmy G made 4 of what the Faithful term “Oh no” throws. A perfect encapsulation of why the 49ers had to move on from him.

Reply
- peter boudoures September 18, 2023
  
  I heard he threw a pick to a linebacker and i thought yep that’s the jimmy i know.
  
  Reply
- Lazarus September 18, 2023
  
  Jimmy was initially a backup… for a reason…
  Be well,
  Laz
  
  Reply
  - Stephen Rosenthal September 18, 2023
    
    Definitely true, but anybody from that time period would have been a backup to Brady. Jimmy G has an incredible winning percentage that masks his flaws. I suspect his winning percentage will be precipitously reduced with the Raiders. That is, if he doesn’t get injured in the next game or two.
    
    Reply
sam kircher September 18, 2023

I’m grateful to the AVA staff and comment community for replacing the YouTube video thumbnails in comments with url links. Here’s another request:
For those who don’t speak emoji, is there a way we could translate those cute and colorful glyphs to the words they’re meant to represent?
If not, I’m content to continue cursing at clouds, and at kids on my lawn.

Reply
- Mazie Malone September 18, 2023
  
  Lol…
  Maybe I can help…..lol
  
  😂 laughing
  ❤️ love
  🤘Rock on.. lol
  🔮 magic
  🎃 pumpkin
  🤦‍♀️ lord help us all…. Or stupid/dumb
  🐶 dog
  ☕️ coffee
  🧠 brain…
  🥰 kisses
  🤗 hugs
  🤯 mind blown
  🥲 sad
  🙏 praying or high 5!
  
  Does that help? 💕💕💕
  
  mm
  
  Reply
  - sam kircher September 18, 2023
    
    It does, thanks. Though I’ll remain partial to the originality and expressiveness of words here, it won’t be the last trend I’ll be bucking stubbornly.
    I hope my kids pick out some good ones for my tombstone.
    
    Reply
    - Mazie Malone September 18, 2023
      
      Lol …. Well I hope to god they choose words for your headstone, no one wants emojis…. My use of emojis is to emphasize my words not replace them… and if the use of language ends up becoming cartoon like symbols, we are doomed! 🤦‍♀️!
      
      My headstone with emojis would look like this…
      😂🤘🔮🧠🦀🙏🥲🤯🤗✌️❤️💕
      
      mm💕
      
      Reply
- Bob A. September 18, 2023
  
  Like it or not, we are witnessing the birth of a new human language. Emoji add a splash of color while communicating emotional subtexts that may be hard to put into words. I’m feeling too close to my pull date to learn the nuances of a new language, so I’ll stick with plain old text.
  
  Reply
  - Mazie Malone September 18, 2023
    
    ❤️❤️❤️
    
    Reply
    - Marmon September 18, 2023
      
      Mazie, don’t let these old geezers silence you. I love the emoji’s, they express emotions.
      
      Marmon
      
      Reply
      - Bruce Anderson September 18, 2023
        
        No they don’t. They’re lazy.
        
        Reply
        
        Marmon September 18, 2023
        
        Anything that may objectively be interpreted as an asset to a contract, can end up being legally binding. That can be through a text, an email, an emoji, or even a comment on social media. Think of how the words (or pictures or symbols) you say and use can be interpreted.
        
        https://www.turnpikelaw.com/court-rules-an-emoji-can-bind-you-to-a-contract/#:~:text=Anything%20that%20may%20objectively%20be,and%20use%20can%20be%20interpreted.
        
        Marmon
        
        Reply
        
        Mazie Malone September 18, 2023
        
        Lol…. The emojis are lazy ???
        
        Reply
        
        Bruce Anderson September 18, 2023
        
        A lazy way to communicate, in my opinion, and please note, dear Mazie, I didn’t resort to imo.
        
        Reply
        
        Mazie Malone September 18, 2023
        
        Haha I get it, lazy and ineffective! To have communication does require words… emojis simply can not do that but they definitely are useful for a fun emphasis!!
        Noted…!!!
        
        mm💕
        
        Reply
      - Mazie Malone September 18, 2023
        
        Haha thank you …. Never, old geezers don’t scare me.. lol..…
        
        mm💕
        
        Reply
- Marmon September 18, 2023
  
  re: sam kircher.
  
  eat 💩💩💩
  
  Marmon
  
  Reply
  - sam kircher September 18, 2023
    
    I usually try not to.
    But I do read your comments.
    They taste about the same.
    
    Reply
    - Mazie Malone September 18, 2023
      
      Oh lord…. lol
      
      Reply
  - Bob A. September 18, 2023
    
    Your emojis speak to the heart of your lack of proper toilet training.
    
    Reply
    - Bruce McEwen September 18, 2023
      
      I got scammed this morning by a sudden intrusion from google if I answered nine simple questions and on the bus to my Scottish club to drop off some flags I took the little quiz and was a proud winner of a new iPad just pay two dollars shipping so I put my fingers in the trap and didn’t notice until I got home from a hectic Monday at UPS what a fool I was. Of course now the banks closed and the scammers have had a full business day to drain my meager life away— wtf are the emojis for eejits! Bah! Fie!
      
      Reply
      - Bob A. September 18, 2023
        
        Gmail just offered me this: “Get the chance to win an Enclustra Design-in Kit XU3”. All I have to do is attend a seminar. Think I’ll go to bed instead.
        
        Reply
        
        Bruce McEwen September 19, 2023
        
        Got hit w/ the same scam this morning only this time under a different name —- sent it to the AVA so maybe you can check it out for legitimacy…
        
        Reply
Marmon September 18, 2023

RE: MY ALMA MATER & FOOTBALL

Sacramento State is up to No. 4 in the latest FCS poll after the win over Stanford.

Marmon

Reply
Marmon September 18, 2023

RE: REMEMBERING KEN KESEY ON HIS BIRTHDAY

My cousin, also named James Marmon, was Ken Kesey’ neighbor up in Oregon in his final years. Me and my cousin “Jimmy Jay” don’t talk much anymore since I became a Trumpian.

Marmon

Reply
- Bruce McEwen September 18, 2023
  
  Be more openminded, James. Dropping acid and tie dye buses came long after Kesey wrote his heroic epic, Sometimes A Great Notion, later a gripping movie, commemorating your professed calling, the lumberjack of classic lore, but ages later commenting from the broom closet on your (actual) occupation, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest… so why all the prickly disrespect for your cousin? You don’t like it when people dis you w/ diminutive pronouns — so wtf are the emojis for pricks and jerks who join cults, like you and your tRumpian ilk? And that last novel of his about hitch sailboats in Alaska meant very little to me, if not others.
  
  Reply
Craig Stehr September 18, 2023

Warmest Spiritual Greetings, Will probably be discharged from Cloverdale Healthcare tomorrow, returning to Building Bridges. Cannot access Gmail on the tablet provided. All is well sitting outside chanting ancient vedic mantrams and bird watching. Craig Louis Stehr

Reply
🎂 September 18, 2023

tRump🍑ian

Reply

Mendocino County Today: Monday, Sept. 18, 2023

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