Mendocino County Today: Friday, Jan. 5, 2024

Mostly Sunny | Proposed Agreement | Waves | Mountain Lion | Redwood Drive-In | Brandon Mitchell | Wildlife Corridor | Ed Notes | MCAVHN | Scotia Article | Moby Cloud | Christine Randolph | Weed County | Basic Ethics | Assembly Candidates | Seed Workshop | Disco Ranch | Mendo Trivia | Yesterday's Catch | Jews Protest | Skyhawk CD | Warming Wine | NFL Today | Booze News | Green Day | Humor Class | People’s Park | Cordell Jackson | Playground Politicians | Soulless | Millionaire Tax | Choice Cuts | Epstein Customers | Tiny Dancer | Funding Israel | Holocausting | Abusing Words | Nuclear Threat | Short Trip

COASTAL MIST AND DRIZZLE will gradually lift through the morning with a moderate winter storm building in early Saturday morning. The greatest impacts are expected in Trinity County. Colder, calmer weather is on track later in the weekend. (NWS)

STEPHEN DUNLAP (Fort Bragg): On the coast this Friday morning I have 51F with a few high clouds. Today will be lovely then rain returns Saturday. Dry Sunday with much colder temps then more rain for next week starting Monday. A beach hazards advisory is in effect for the coast today with a large surf & sneaker waves.

COUNTY AGREES TO GIVE SEIU EMPLOYEES A MODEST COLA plus a “market rate adjustment” in following years.

(From the agreement proposed to be approved by the Supervisors next Tuesday)

Salary Year 1 (FY 23/24): Effective the first full pay period following approval and ratification by the Board of Supervisors, all SEIU LOCAL 1021 bargaining unit employees shall receive a 1% COLA. All regular full-time and part-time SEIU LOCAL 1021 employees employed as of 12/1/2023 and employed on the date payment will be received, will be paid a supplemental payment equivalent of 1% of employee's base salary for the time period of 7/1/2023 to the ratification of the agreement by the Board of Supervisors, or from the date of hire if hired after 7/1/2023. …

Year 2 (FY 24/25): Effective in the first full pay period in July of 2024, the County will implement one half of the total compensation study for classifications not at market. Each classification will receive a minimum increase of 2.5% through a combination of the increase from the compensation study and a cost-of-living adjustment unless they are more than 2.5% above market. Classifications that are below market average will be brought up to 100% of market average of total compensation over two years. For reasons of equity and to prevent additional disparity to classifications above and below market, classifications that are more than 2.5% above market average of total compensation will not be adjusted. Compaction and alignment among classifications will be reviewed. No classification will have its rate reduced as a result of this study. It is the intent as part of the compensation study to restore the 21 classifications with fewer than five steps back to five pay steps. However, the results of the study and/or internal alignment may or may not support five steps. 

Year 3 (FY 25/26): Effective in first full pay period in July of 2025, the County will implement the balance of the total compensation study for classifications not at market. Each classification will receive a minimum increase of 2.5% through a combination of the increase from the compensation study and a cost-of-living adjustment unless they are more than 5% above market. For reasons of equity and to prevent additional disparity to classifications above and below market, classifications that are more than 5% above market average of total compensation will not be adjusted. 

* * *

Cities & Counties to be included in the salary survey: Ukiah, Santa Rosa; El Dorado County, Humboldt, Lake, Napa, Nevada, Sonoma, Sutter and Yolo.

(Mark Scaramella)

ELK COMMENTER: Mountain lion alert!

It ran across Cameron Rd in front of my car below 1300 Cameron Rd, just before hwy 1. It headed into the brush. Happened at 12:45 this afternoon. Strange to see one in middle of the day. Not too large, maybe a juvenile. Keep your kids and pets safe!

If anyone can share this with folks in that are in that area, that would be great. I'm not that active on social media...

BOONVILLE’S REDWOOD DRIVE-IN RESTAURANT WILL BE CLOSED Until Monday, January 8, 2024

TECH FOUNDER RELINQUISHES NEARLY 1,000 ACRES OF PRIVATE MENDOCINO COUNTY LAND FOR PUBLIC USE

The land has been transferred to the Mendocino National Forest.

by Ariana Bindman

Nearly 1,000 acres of private land have been transferred to the Mendocino National Forest for public use, opening a "critical wildlife corridor" for the forest's sprawling ecosystem, a Dec. 12 news release from the Wilderness Land Trust reads. The property, known as the Thomas Creek project, marks a victory for conservationists seeking to protect U.S. forests from future development.

Nestled between the Sanhedrin Wilderness and roaring Eel River, the wooded Northern California region is home to spotted owls, martens, mountain lions and deer, as well as the Anthony Peak lupine, a "critically imperiled" rare plant species. The distinctive white flowers only bloom in the Mendocino National Forest, the Wilderness Land Trust said, and so far have been discovered in only four locations, per the United States Forest Service website.

The Trust paid just over $2 million for the Thomas Creek property in 2022, Margosia Jadkowski, the organization's director of Marketing & Communications, told SFGATE by phone. Had the sale not gone through, it's possible that residential buildings would have been developed in the area.

According to the organization's December news release, this recent purchase is the sixth protected property either adjacent to or within the Sanhedrin Wilderness, an unruly swath of forest with no marked trails where you're unlikely to find safe drinking water. D'Artanyan Ratley, a press officer for the United States Forest Service, told SFGATE that 19 threatened, endangered or proposed species of concern might live in the remote area, along with 21 rare plant species.

Luckily, Wes Boyd — the original landowner and Bay Area software engineer who co-founded the petition site MoveOn.org — chose "the path of conservation," Jadkowski said. (Boyd stepped away from MoveOn in 2013, he told SFGATE via email.)

This also isn't the only time the Wilderness Land Trust has struck a deal with private owners. In August 2023, the Montana-based nonprofit purchased 160 acres near Big Sur from the San Francisco Zen Center, SFGATE previously reported, and its website says it has completed similar projects throughout California.

Rep. Jared Huffman, who represents Mendocino County in Congress, praised the purchase in a release.

"The Thomas Creek project meets the mark for all the benefits of designating public lands — it's going to protect critical habitat and treasured species, support biodiversity, and get us closer to our conservation and climate goals," Huffman said. "I'm incredibly grateful to the Wilderness Land Trust and the Mendocino National Forest for stepping up as stewards of this land."

(SFgate)

ED NOTES

SPOTTED in a coupla winery locations in the Anderson Valley, “Cline for Supervisor” campaign signs, meaning the Mendo wine lobby is behind Madeline in the crowded race for 1st District supervisor.

THE OTHER CANDIDATES vying for the 1st District seat — Redwood and Potter valleys, basically — include Adam Gaska, Carrie Shattuck and Trevor Mockel.

THE RACE is a puzzler. Each candidate seems to have a strong core of support, with Mockel, supported by the fading Democratic Party apparatus, seeming to be running last and vying with Cline for the same Farm Bureau and Biden-brained Democrat constituencies.

CARRIE SHATTUCK would seem to have strong support from inland Trumpers and random voters who appreciate her for both her muted ferocity and her thorough understanding of county functioning.

ADAM GASKA similarly understands how the county works or doesn't work at its power slots. If sincerity and non-cliched plain talk were the primary values of 1st District voters, Gaska, a working farmer, and Shattuck would be favorites with the smart, articulate Cline right up there with them.

IN THE 4TH DISTRICT, Fort Bragg Mayor Bernie Norvell and Georgina Avila-Gorman are the two candidates to succeed Dan Gjerde, who checked out of full participation at the beginning of his final term in office, mailing it in so to speak, present but zoned out.

NORVELL, knowledgeable and having compiled an impressive record as mayor of Fort Bragg in that he, in tandem with FBPD Chief Cervanka, have managed to efficiently and humanely reduce the town's homeless population by re-uniting some with their far flung families, getting another bunch into treatment and permanent housing, and by keeping close count of the intractables by keeping them from ruining public spaces. (Ukiah should be so fortunate to have a Fort Bragg homeless strategy.)

NORVELL'S opponent is Georgina Avila-Gorman, realtor and a political newcomer about whom we know double-nought. (Please call us, Georgina. We want to meet you.)

IN THE 2ND DISTRICT, Incumbent Mo Mulheren is opposed by Marine Corps veteran, Jacob Brown. Mulheren is a nice person wayyyyy over her head as a supervisor as having been one-fifth of the weakest, least effective board of supervisors in the history of Mendocino County, and we've survived some doozies in this a-historical place seemingly inhabited by an adult population of amnesiacs. Political newcomer Brown is a no-nonsense dude who deserves a shot at the job if for no other reason than he's stepped up, perhaps out of alarm at the dysfunction he sees. Ukiah being the kind of place where a large swathe of its population has never intellectually left high school, Mulheren, pom-poms to the fore, will be hard to dislodge, but Brown, a combat veteran, won't be running from the outback political battles he'll face if elected.

MARK SCARAMELLA NOTES:

Madeline Cline is a non-practicing lawyer with a law degree from Hastings. She previously worked for a time for Liebert Cassidy Whitemore, the law firm that Mendo uses from lots of outside law cases.

We don’t see any specific wine industry connections in Ms. Cline’s on-line background. She claims to have worked “in the assembly” in some unspecified public policy capacity. (Policies not mentioned.) 

However from her candidacy announcement we see clues and hints of wine industry connections: “A professional public policy advocate, Cline assists the business and farming community as they navigate the local policy making process.”

“…the farming community” is local code for the wine industry. Real farmers don’t use and can’t afford lobbyists.

And, “Madeline spends her free time volunteering and staying active in the community. This year (2023), she was appointed by Supervisor Glenn McGourty to the Mendocino County Fish and Game Commission.” A McGourty-ite, therefore a wine friendly candidate. But, wait a minute: McGourty is already on record “endorsing” Trevor Mockel because, according to McGourty, Trevor Mockel told McGourty that he has never received a speeding ticket and “has no dark secrets that [McGourty] should know about. No illegitimate children, no scorned women, drunken brawls with local police, etc.” Oh dear. Did McGourty jump the endorsement gun?

MIKE GENIELLA:

Redwoods, People, And What Happened When The Junk Bond Kinds Arrived. 

During the so-called Redwood Timber Wars three decades or more ago, I spent a lot of time in Scotia talking to Pacific Lumber Co. executives doing the bidding of a Texas corporate takeover artist. I drank beer with workers after hours at the local bar. During tumultuous environmental protests where demonstrators chained their arms inside steel pipes, and endured pepper stray. I witnessed noisy clashes in front of the company's Scotia headquarters and Headwaters protests along a highway that attracted hundreds of people including singer Bonnie Raitt.

In the quiet times, I feasted on great deli sandwiches from Hoby's, the town's market, and sat on park benches taking a long look at life in Scotia

This update (link below) was good. I know some of the people cited in the New Yorker article, including Mary Bullwinkle. In my time, she had the unenviable job of being PL's spokeswoman. We became friends over time and had lots of good times with others at the historic Eureka Inn, the center of things in that era. 

I don't know how I feel about today's Scotia, nor do I understand the prospects of it being able to provide anything resembling life, security, and happiness when it was a true company town. Charles Hurwitz dashed any hopes for that kind of future.

If columnist Gaye LeBaron was still writing her spot on North Coast histories, she would write about Scotia. She was born in the old hospital there.

newyorker.com/news/us-journal/scotia-the-california-town-owned-by-a-new-york-investment-firm

SHERIFF’S OFFICE: CAUSE OF DEATH DETERMINED FOR EUREKA WOMAN FOUND DEAD IN VAN IN MENDOCINO COUNTY

The woman was found Oct. 11, 2023 in a van which had been towed a few days before following a hit-and-run collision.

by Madison Smalstig

Mendocino County officials determined that the death of a Eureka woman found in a van under various items was accidental.

The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Coroner’s Division concluded Wednesday that Christine Ann Randolph, 53, died of an overdose from a combination of drugs, including morphine, Capt. Greg Van Patten said in a news release.

She was prescribed the medications that led to the accidental overdose, Van Patten said Thursday.

The coroner conducted an autopsy and toxicology report on Randolph, who was found dead Oct. 11, 2023.

Randolph’s body was discovered by investigators in a section of concave flooring in a Toyota Sienna. She was buried under belongings, including clothing, luggage and living supplies, Van Patten said.

Just three days prior, the vehicle was involved in a two-vehicle crash about a mile northwest of Willits in Mendocino County. The driver and Randolph’s son, Root Harvest Birimisa, 26, fled the scene but was found and arrested nearby.

Birimisa was suspected of driving under the influence, driving without insurance or proof of it and not immediately stopping after the collision.

On Oct. 9, 2023, Eureka police began investigating Randolph’s disappearance after family members learned of her son’s arrest. The two had been traveling together.

Charges filed against Birimisa in Mendocino County Superior Court related to the crash were later dismissed due to doubts about his mental health and competency. Birimisa was never arrested or charged in relation to the death of his mother.

(pressdemocrat.com)

ATTENTION EYSTER. ‘Shannon sez’: One of the basic tenets of Ethics training, (required of all public officials under AB 1234) is that public officials shall “Avoid any actions that would cause the public to question whether your decisions are based on personal interests instead of the public’s interests.”
More excerpts from this required training for public officials:
“In short, public service ethics is not only about doing the right thing, but also about the public’s confidence that indeed the right thing has been done. Public servants must maintain a high standard of ethical conduct that promotes public confidence that public officials’ actions are motivated solely by the public’s interests.”
“Ask yourself whether your constituents will reasonably question your ability to put your personal interests and relationships aside and put their, the public’s, interests first. You can decide to voluntarily abstain if you are concerned that your constituents would reasonably question whether you should be involved in the decision-making process. Remember the law is a floor, not a ceiling, for public service ethics.”
I guess DA Eyster needs to review his basic ethics training as there is undoubtedly a public perception that the DA is not a disinterested party in the Cubbison legal battle. Why not have someone else prosecute this case? Eyster’s participation looks and smells bad under ethics rules.

ASSEMBLY CANDIDATES MONTHLY HYBRID MEETING 

2nd Thursday, 1/11/24, at Mountain Mike's Pizza and on Zoom, 6:30pm - 7:30pm. 

Five of the Democratic candidates for Assembly District 02 have been invited to speak to us. 

The invited speakers are: Rusty Hicks from Humboldt, Ariel Kelley from Healdsburg, Frankie Myers of the Yurok Tribe Del Norte, Chris Rogers from Santa Rosa, and Ted Williams from Albion.

Not every candidate has confirmed yet. 

They will have time to introduce themselves and then answer your questions.

Please join us in person or on Zoom to become informed about the very short race to the Democratic primary on March 5th. Zoom login can be found on our IMDC website.

COAST BOTANICAL GARDENS:

Heirloom Seed Saving Workshop Series begins January 6...

Join Victory Gardens for Peace Seed Bank Director, Matt Drewno for a hands-on seed saving series each Saturday in January at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens. This workshop will focus on all the basics required to grow a wide variety of healthy garden seeds. We will cover planning, propagation, selecting, harvesting, and preserving common and endangered varieties.

Learn more and register: gardenbythesea.org/calendar/heirloom-seed-saving/

ANDERSON VALLEY WINE SHOP A PILLAR OF COMMUNITY

Filling two niches has made Disco Ranch a thriving success.

by Sarah Doyle

When Wendy Lamer decided to open Disco Ranch wine shop in Anderson Valley, her goal wasn’t to sell wine from region’s well-established wineries, nor those from Napa and Sonoma.

Instead, she set her sights on tiny-production wines from local winemakers without a tasting room and a smart selection of affordable imports — two niches that have made her business a thriving success.

“Giving small-production winemakers a place to pour and sell their wines has been important to me since the beginning,” said Lamer, who opened Disco Ranch in 2019. “So I focus on brands that make around 600 cases or less. As for the imports, they’re just great bargains. My store is very small, so I really don’t have room for anything else.”

Born and raised in Georgia, Lamer first became interested in wine when she was 18 and working at a popular wine importer and gourmet food store. Her supervisor was erudite wine professional Tim Hanni, who would later become a Master of Wine, one of the most prestigious wine titles in the world.

“Tim was studying for his (Master of Wine) exam at the time, so I used to follow him around like a puppy dog to absorb his knowledge,” Lamer said. “We would commonly drink 1945 and 1961 Bordeaux. I was like, ‘Wow! I’m getting paid to drink wine! Wine has been my career and a great passion ever since.”

Over the next 20 years, Lamer worked for various wine distributors, both in Georgia and in Arizona, where she also managed wine sales for BevMo.

But it wasn’t until her brother Greg Lamer decided to move to Anderson Valley to work for sparkling wine house Roederer Estate that she considered moving to California.

“I knew Anderson Valley was in the middle of nowhere, but I decided to go check it out,” she said. “I wondered what kind of people would be living out there in the sticks. But I was completely blown away by cool, artistic people here, and the beauty and tranquility. I was like, this is what I need in my life.”

Wine at the Disco

With a name inspired by a particularly groovy dance party at her former farmhouse in Georgia, Disco Ranch has become a beloved destination for both locals and visitors.

And for small, independent winemakers like Brad Jonas of Minus Tide winery, Lamer has given his wines a presence — an invaluable gift for a wine label with limited funds.

“There are many artisanal producers making top-caliber wines who don’t get the exposure of a winery with a tasting room and much larger budget,” said Jonas, who cofounded Minus Tide in 2019. “Wendy is extremely knowledgeable about our story and connects people to our wines in a way that wouldn’t exist otherwise. She’s been an incredible supporter of us since she opened her doors in 2019.”

During COVID, Disco Ranch proved particularly valuable to small wine producers like Minus Tide who often rely on restaurant placements to sell and promote their wines.

While most restaurants were closed, Disco Ranch provided a venue for winemakers like Jonas to meet customers face-to-face to pour and sell their wines.

Today, Minus Tide is among the shop’s top-selling labels, in addition to other small brands like Read Holland, Waits-Mast and Lussier Wine Co.

But local wines are only part of the draw at Disco Ranch, where Lamer’s carefully curated selection of affordable imports often leaves customers giddy with excitement.

“I cut my teeth on selling imported wines, so I knew exactly what I wanted to offer,” Lamer said. “I carry a lot of Italian wines, Rhones, a fair amount of white Burgundy, which is just delightful, and Spanish wines. I mean, they’re really the best value out there. I offer something for everyone at every price point.”

While Lamer’s wines range in price between around $8.99 to $100 a bottle, most are under $25. If the cost of wine increases on her end, she switches it out for something else.

“Over-delivering in a big way is what I’ve always been known for, so it’s really important to me to keep my prices down,” Lamer said. “When you come to a small town, you just expect to be ripped off. But people from the Bay Area get here and are surprised the wines are less expensive than at home.”

For Anderson Valley locals like Jonas, having access to affordable imported wines is not taken for granted.

“It’s pretty amazing you can stop in Boonville and find a selection of Champagne or enjoy a glass of Alsatian riesling or a Northern Rhone wine,” Jonas said. “Wendy is great at connecting locals to international wines while creating a place for the community to gather.”

With a selection of approximately 320 wines, Disco Ranch sells wine by the bottle and 18 wines by the glass, including six to eight local selections, three aromatic white wines and three imported reds.

A variety of savory tapas are also on the menu, like giant beans with chorizo and piquillo peppers with goat cheese, tinned fish, gourmet sliders, cheese and charcuterie.

Lamer designed the menu so she could prepare all the food herself, often with items plucked from the store’s specialty food section. That’s saved her the cost of hiring an employee for most of the year, she said, except for the busy summer season.

But no matter the time of year, people can’t help but stop at the wine shop with the groovy name and the fire pit out front.

“When I told people I wanted to move to Anderson Valley, everyone said I was crazy,” Lamer said. “But Disco Ranch is a part of the community now. The locals have been so supportive and visitors tell me their vacation hasn’t started until they stop at my store. It’s all worked out really nice.”

(pressdemocrat.com)

NATIONAL TRIVIA DAY ON THE COAST

by Karen McGrath and Carol Dominy

Celebrate National Trivia Day on January 4th with these interesting tidbits of local history from the Kelley House archives!

Masonic Hall

Did you know that the wings on Father Time used to be painted silver? According to a Mendocino Beacon newspaper article published in 2014, contractor Dave Latoof and his crew were lightly sanding the statue on top of the building, known as “Time and the Maiden,” when they discovered that Father Time's wings were painted silver at some time in the past. The two rooftop figures, carved from a single redwood trunk, were also created without feet, which makes sense because feet wouldn’t be seen from the ground.

The Street of the Sisters

Between 1879 and 1886, five adventurous sisters emigrated to Mendocino from the island of Flores, in the Azores Islands. All of these women—Annie Osborne Jerome, Rosa Thomas, Marianne Vargas, Joaquina King, and Maria Bettencourt—married, and each lived in a house on Calpella Street.

Water Tower

In 2002, the oldest standing water tower in the Mendocino Historic District, located near the corner of Heeser and Main streets, was lifted, set on wheels, and turned 90 degrees by owner Rich Aguilar so that the windows faced Mendocino Bay. 

Headlands Trivia

Portuguese Beach was known for over one hundred years as Point Beach. Fifty-five years ago, 12 boat houses occupied the beach; they were used by local residents Miles Paoli, Les Selders, Tony Lenhares, Joe Silva, Alvin Mendosa, and others. Up until the area became a state park in the 1970s, cows and horses grazed the headlands above the beach.

That White Cross on Little Lake Road

St. Vincent’s, the first Catholic church in Mendocino County, was built in 1866 on one of Mendocino’s two highest hills. It was razed in 1921, but a large cross marks its approximate location within Hillcrest Cemetery. The church’s elevated location and its fifty-foot-tall steeple made it visible for miles along the coast, a useful landmark for mariners and government surveyors. The old house that is now Patterson’s Pub was originally the priest’s home.

The Red Church

Corners of the Mouth occupies what was once Eliza Kelley’s Baptist church. Built in 1894 by her husband, it fulfilled her long-standing desire for a Baptist house of worship in Mendocino. The congregation continued to hold services there until about 1935, but then the building stood empty until it was sold in the 1970s, along with all the other Kelley/MacCallum properties. It’s painted barn-red because the family painted several of their buildings this color. The so-called Red House across Ukiah Street near the corner of Ford Street was a Kelley rental property, and the building a few doors west of the church (now Mendocino Market & Deli) was once Daisy’s red guest cottage.

Vaults

Three historical vaults still exist in Mendocino. In 1881, the first occupant of the Beacon Building on Ukiah Street, the Bank of Mendocino, installed a brick vault in the southeast corner to protect its steel safe. Partners Gallery now uses this small but charming space for exhibits. Visitors to the Out of This World store on Main Street can still view the Bank of America’s 1908 steel vault inside the store. William Kelley had a brick vault in his store on the corner of Main and Lansing Streets. When the 100-year-old building was razed and replaced in 1979, the vault was saved, and it’s used as a dressing room by the Blooming store today.

The Teetotaler

The sun porch of Daisy MacCallum’s home, where she spent so much time in her later years, is now part of the MacCallum House Inn’s Grey Whale Bar & Cafe. Ironically, Daisy was a life-long teetotaler and a staunch supporter of the temperance movement to ban the sale of alcohol in Mendocino during the early part of the 20th century.

The Mendocino Beacon

William Heeser founded the Mendocino Beacon newspaper in 1877, the same year his son Auggie was born. After William died, Auggie became the owner and publisher of the Beacon, “A Coast Paper for Coast People.”

(www.kelleyhousemuseum.org)

CATCH OF THE DAY, Thursday, January 4, 2024

CRISTIAN ANDRADE-AYALA, Ukiah. DUI, suspended license for DUI, no license.

ANNELISE BECK, Willits. Suspended license, resisting, probation revocation.

JAMES COLYAR, Willits. Controlled substance, paraphernalia, probation revocation.

MELISSA DAVIS, Mendocino. Disorderly conduct-alcohol&drugs.

JOSHUA FREEMAN, Potter Valley. Sex registrant removing GPS monitor, parole violation.

BENJAMIN HOFF, Ukiah. Vandalism, probation violation.

LAMONT JONES JR., Ukiah. County parole violation.

SHANNON KIDD, Ukiah. Parole violation.

ANDREW LAMBERSON JR., Trinidad/Ukiah. Failure to appear.

LAUREN MCENTEE, Ukiah. Burglary, domestic abuse.

MARIELA MISHEVA, Las Vegas/Ukiah. Marijuana cultivation, renting to distribute controlled substance.

NATHAN MORALES-SALDANA, Covelo. Disorderly conduct-under influence, paraphernalia, resisting.

MARK NIELSEN, Ukiah. Controlled substance for sale, county parole violation, offenses while on bail, probation revocation.

KELLY TIPTON, Lakeport/Ukiah. DUI-alcohol&drugs, leaving scene of accident with property damage, suspended license.

JALAHN TRAVIS, Ukiah. Failure to appear, probation revocation.

500 JEWISH CALIFORNIANS AND ALLIES SHUT DOWN THE STATE CAPITOL, Demanding Ceasefire in Gaza

Sacramento, CA — On January 3rd, 2024, the first day of the 2024 Legislative Sessions, more than 500 Californian Jews alongside a diverse coalition of Californians shut down the California State Assembly session and the California State Capitol Rotunda to demand an immediate permanent ceasefire in Gaza. In response, the State Assembly canceled the session for the day. Members of Jewish Voice for Peace, IfNotNow, the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network along with other Jews and concerned Californians gathered in protest, song, and prayer to demand that California legislators stand for justice and call a lasting ceasefire now. The coalition of protestors included rabbis, children of holocaust survivors, Israelis-Americans, teachers and healthcare workers and many more community members united in their call for American politicians to stop funding genocide.

“We represent thousands of Jewish people from over California who oppose the Israeli government’s genocidal campaign that has murdered over 22,000 including thousands of children and displaced the people of Gaza from their homes,” said Lisa Rofel, a board member of Jewish Voice for Peace and San Francisco resident.

Protesters gathered in both the State Assembly session and in the Capitol rotunda singing Jewish songs and prayers and calling for a ceasefire. They dropped banners from the balcony of the State Assembly room that said “Jews Say No US Funding for Israel’s Genocide of Palestinians.” Protestors laid red tissue-paper poppies on the center of the rotunda to mourn the lives of each Palestinian who has been murdered in Israel’s genocidal campaign. Protesters came together in grief and anger to protest and pray as a community while disrupting business as usual in resistance to the Israeli military’s genocidal campaign against Palestine, which is backed by the US government via significant financial aid as well as the sale of bombs and weapons.

Since October 7th, the US government has sent millions of dollars in military aid and weapons to Israel, with the Biden administration twice bypassing Congress to approve an emergency weapons sale. The US government provides $3.8 billion in military aid to the Israeli government annually. Each year Californian’s federal tax dollars amount to more than $609 million in military aid to Israel. The Jewish-led protesters are resolute in their belief that the US government muststop funding genocide and instead invest in local communities including expansions for healthcare, affordable housing, climate resiliency, education, and affordable childcare.

“I am the grandchild of holocaust survivors and I know that part of the great tragedy of the Holocaust was that the world stood by and let it happen. I will not be a bystander as the Israeli military wages a genocide in Gaza that is fully funded by my own government. I owe it to my family to speak out. I am here to say never again for anyone,” said Margo Goldstein, a member of the International Jewish Anti-Zionist organization.

Amongst the protestors was a contingent of Sonoma County Jews and allies including Ma’ayan Pe’er, a teacher and Israeli American Jew who was visiting their family in Tel Aviv on October 7th.

“As an ex-Zionist, Israeli American Jew, it’s my moral obligation to stand against Israeli genocide of Palestinians,” said Pe’er. “Sonoma County Jews demand that our elected officials Rep. Huffman and Rep. Thompson take meaningful action toward a permanent ceasefire.”

“We as California’s taxpayers contribute hundreds of millions in military aid to Israel each year, while people in our own communities struggle without access to food, homes, and healthcare. We are Jewish Americans committed to the safety and dignity of all people and call on our leaders to stop funding genocide and instead invest in our local communities,” said David Jones Krause, a member of If Not Now, and labor activist based in Oakland.

For the past three months, Jewish Americans have protested at the United States Capitol, in train stations, congressional offices, and iconic landmarks across the nation calling for a permanent ceasefire now. On November 13th, over 700+ California Jews and allies occupied the Oakland Federal Building calling for a ceasefire. Jewish organizers will persist in disrupting business as usual as long as the Israeli government continues its genocidal campaign in Gaza.

Since October 7th, the Israeli military has slaughtered over 22,000 Palestinians including more than 8,000 children in Gaza. According to December’s polling by Data for Progress, American voters overwhelmingly support a ceasefire: 61% of likely voters and 80% of democrats. In spite of this, Representative Barbara Lee is the only California legislator who has signed onto Res. 786, which calls for a ceasefire and humanitarian aid into Gaza. Californian Jews in alliance with Californians of many faiths and backgrounds are calling upon California Legislators to do their job and represent their constituencies. Now we find out: will they listen?

“We as Jews demand an immediate lasting ceasefire and end to aid for Israel’s genocidal campaign,” Tina Szpicek, a Berkeley resident, lawyer, and grandchild of a Holocaust survivor. “Our tradition calls upon us to stand in solidarity with Palestinians, to disrupt business as usual, and to say unequivocally never again for anyone.”

(counterpunch.org)

WINE INDUSTRY PR RAMPS UP to address winegrowing in hotter and dryer conditions

Agriculture And Climate Conference To Address Critical Climate Adaptations For Winegrowing

SANTA ROSA, Calif. — The California Land Stewardship Institute (CLSI) and Fish Friendly Farming is hosting a climate conference to be held January 17th, 2024 at Saralee and Richard’s Barn at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. The event, titled: Agriculture and Climate Conference: Adapting Today for Tomorrow’s Changes, will address current and future climate impacts facing California’s winegrowing community and will educate on climate adaptations.

“The urgency to plan for the future of winegrowing cannot be understated,” said Laurel Marcus, Science Director, California Land Stewardship Institute and founder of Fish Friendly Farming, “Climate impacts are not limited to an increase in wildfires. Drought and water shortages as well as rising temperatures will affect our ability to continue growing the wine varieties that Northern California has produced for decades.”

The full-day conference will provide climate education, training and support for winegrowers and those working in agriculture. An impressive lineup of speakers and panelists have been secured and include state policy experts, winegrowers, fire experts, meteorologists, water supply experts and ecologists. Presentations and discussions will include past climate effects in California and an overview of predicted temperatures, droughts and fire conditions throughout the Northern California wine country for the next 100 years. The effects of these conditions on winegrowing water supply and wildfire will also be covered. Tickets to the event are $20 and include a boxed lunch. The day will conclude with a tasting of wines grown from heat-tolerant grape varieties.

“Climate change will continue to challenge the Northern California winegrowing community,” explained Marcus “It is essential that winegrowers get the support and information they need to adapt to future conditions.”

A full agenda, list of speakers and registration information can be found at ag-climate conference.org <https://www.ag-climateconference.org/>. The conference will be held Wednesday, January 17 from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. at Saralee and Richard’s Barn at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, 1350 Bennett Valley Rd, Santa Rosa, CA 95404. Doors open at 7:30 a.m.

The Agriculture and Climate Conference is funded by a grant from the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA).

ESTHER MOBLEY: 

What I'm Reading

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

Provocative headline alert: “Is the wine boom over?” Tim Carl poses this question in his Substack newsletter, diving into some deep economic data. The Napa Valley-specific analysis is lengthy, looking at the effects of demographic shifts, wealth inequality and more.

Wineries in Washington and Colorado are challenging a California law that prevents them from selling bottles directly to California shops or restaurants, without going through a distributor. In Wine Spectator, Collin Dreizen outlines the details of the lawsuit. 

Noted wine journalist Anthony Dias Blue, the longtime wine editor of Bon Appetit, died on Christmas. Matthew Kaner looks back at his life and career in Men’s Journal.

GREEN DAY SLAMS MAGA! Trios for $800...

Nineties band Green Day has resurfaced, raging against MAGA and Donald Trump: Keep in mind they don’t love Biden, they just hate The Orange One. Sounds balanced…

As someone who made the 1990s Scene, I can tell you that Green Day was always known more for being superfluous and financially successful than anything else. They ain’t Nirvana, or Rush... Triumph... The Creem...Morphine... Zebra... - Laying It On The Line.

via David Svehla, San Francisco

‘TRUMP’S BORDER WALL’ IN BERKELEY: WILL SHIPPING CONTAINERS KEEP PROTESTS OUT OF PEOPLE’S PARK?

by Jill Tucker

A fortress of rusty, dented and secondhand shipping containers popped up overnight around Berkeley’s People’s Park on Thursday, creating an imposing and arguably ugly barrier around the controversial site — a piece of land now slated for housing rather than homeless tents or historic preservation of the free speech movement’s mecca.

Following the overnight raid of the park to remove protesters of the development, as well as longtime unhoused residents, the block of open space was largely closed off by the 160 big metal boxes. Most were dirty yellow with a few orange and blue scattered in, with all wording and numbers haphazardly covered by blue or white paint. 

The hulking boxes each weighed at least 5,000 pounds.

Within hours, the hippie and homeless sanctuary looked far more like a zombie apocalypse safe haven, a largely impenetrable barrier that had locals staring and perhaps even scheming.

 “That’s unprecedented,” said one man as he stared up at the doubled-stacked boxes. “It’s like 16 feet tall and it’s not a chain-link fence.”

“Maybe we could dig a tunnel under Amoeba,” his friend replied, referring to the iconic record store about 300 feet away.

UC Berkeley officials have been trying to develop People’s Park for decades, failing at every turn, with protesters, politics and lawsuits leaving the ground undisturbed. About 60 people moved into tents after the most recent attempt to close off the site for construction, staging a live-in while legal challenges moved through courts. 

While the green light to build is still pending, current university leaders decided to take no chances in creating a secure barrier around the site.

“We learned in August of 2022 that even a really sturdy fence, and an expensive one at that, that we put up, was not sufficient to withstand attacks on it by people who were ready and willing to engage in vandalism, and who would resort to just about anything to tear the fence down,” said Dan Mogulof, university spokesman, adding alternatives would likely be expensive and unsuccessful as well. The shipping containers “seemed to offer the best solution given that our primary objective was to close what is a construction site.”

A protester who gathered at the site Thursday compared it to “Trump’s border wall.”

They were not entirely wrong. Shipping containers have had something of a rebirth in recent years, their typical job of transporting goods shifting to a variety of uses, including border security.

Arizona officials double-stacked 1,700 containers along their southern border with a plan for such a barrier to block 10 miles, but caved to protesters and threats of federal litigation, trucking the big metal boxes away for auction early last year. They are now being made into tiny homes.

But shipping containers have also been chic darlings of industrial design, becoming homes, restaurants, bunkers, pop-up shops and playgrounds, among a wide range of uses.

The famed Starburst House in Joshua Tree, which looks like a bunch of rectangular boxes sticking out at odd angles, is 2,000 square feet of living space made entirely of shipping containers.

In Los Angeles, there is an apartment complex made from containers, designed for homeless people.

And then there was the 2022 FIFA World Cup stadium in Qatar built from 974 shipping containers.

The concept has become so trendy in recent years that it has its own moniker: cargotecture.

That’s not what’s happening around the perimeter of People’s Park, where the containers at the moment are simply a big metal wall. Mogulof said they will remain until construction starts, but it’s unclear whether they will stay after that.

The city permit allowing the placement of the containers on 44 parking spaces expires on March 14, although the permit could be extended, city officials said. The city will get $99,732 for the permitted use, the vast majority in parking fees.

Berkeley Council Member Sophie Hahn expressed concern about the use of shipping containers.

“I’ve never seen it before,” she said. “It’s certainly unprecedented and it feels like a substantial wall being created in our community. It’s just an unusual mechanism.”

While it might be unprecedented in Berkeley, it’s not entirely uncommon elsewhere, including at construction sites on Treasure Island and elsewhere in the country, as well as around large open businesses, like tire storage or junk yards where theft is a problem.

They are heavy, sturdy, stackable, versatile and easily moved, according to the vast array of businesses that sell them and architects who use them.

You can paint them if desired, so they don’t look like they literally just fell off a semi-truck, although it’s unclear how Berkeley will mitigate what appears to be a new and massive blank canvas for graffiti artists.

Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín declined to comment on the shipping containers, said Stefan Elgstrand, his chief of staff, adding that complaints related to something within the city’s jurisdiction should go through the 311 customer service line.

That said, Arreguín expressed strong support for the construction project.

“We’re proud to be supporting a project that will honor the legacy of People’s Park and better meet the needs of our community through an effort that’s deeply reflective of the city’s and university’s values,” he said in a statement. “Our partnership will put a roof over the heads of those living in People’s Park, instead of simply pushing them from one neighborhood to another.”

(SFgate)

CORDELL JACKSON, PERFORMING AT BARRISTERS IN 1996.

Cordell Jackson (Born Miller; July 15, 1923 – October 14, 2004) was an American guitarist thought to be the first woman to produce, engineer, arrange and promote music on her own rock and roll music label.

NOT EARNING THE BIG PAY

Editor: 

The Republican-led House of Representatives passed only 27 Bills in 2023 that became law. The salary of a House member is $174,000. The speaker makes more. They certainly didn’t earn their salary in 2023. They were too busy arguing among themselves to do their job. Selecting a speaker was an overwhelming task for them. As a retired teacher, it reminded me of a bunch of teens arguing on the playground. I’m beginning to think the House and Senate do little but earn lots. It’s time citizens held our elected employees responsible for their actions or lack thereof. Don’t forget 2023 when the next elections are held.

Linda Elliott

Cloverdale

NEW MASSACHUSETTS ‘TAX THE RICH’ LAW RAISES $1.5 BILLION FOR PUBLIC GOOD

The amendment, applying a 4 percent annual surtax to individuals with incomes over $1 million, was passed via a statewide ballot initiative in 2022.

by Alexandra Jacobo

Massachusetts’ new “millionaire’s tax,” formally known as the Fair Share Amendment, has generated considerable revenue since its implementation. Initially expected to bring in $1 billion for public education, infrastructure, and early childcare programs, the tax exceeded these projections. According to the state Department of Revenue, this fiscal measure will contribute an unexpected $1.5 billion by June.

The amendment, applying a 4 percent annual surtax to individuals with incomes over $1 million, was passed via a statewide ballot initiative in 2022. This initiative was part of a broader movement in the United States to tax the wealthiest households and corporations more heavily.

The revenue from the Fair Share Amendment has been a boon for Massachusetts, with the state Department of Revenue estimating a significant $1.5 billion addition to state coffers. This figure surpasses the initial projections and represents a substantial financial boost for the state.

The allocation of these funds is diverse, with significant portions earmarked for public services like education and infrastructure. This considerable financial influx is reshaping how Massachusetts funds its critical public services, setting an example for how targeted taxation can benefit the broader community.

The tax revenue is financing various public services in Massachusetts. For instance, universal free school meals have been implemented, a relief for many families across the state. Additionally, the aging public transportation system is receiving much-needed improvements, enhancing daily commutes for thousands of residents.

Another notable allocation of these funds is toward tuition-free education for community college students, a step forward in making higher education more accessible. These programs, funded by the wealthiest residents, highlight the tangible benefits of re-distributive tax policies.

The passage of the Fair Share Amendment was a contentious process, reflecting the divided opinions on wealth taxation. While it garnered enough support to pass, the narrow victory indicated a split in public and political opinion.

Critics, including some business leaders, warned that such a tax could drive wealthy individuals and businesses out of the state. However, supporters like Jonathan Cohn, political director for Progressive Massachusetts, argue that the benefits for public services justify the measure. The law’s success in its first year has only added to this debate.

For individuals earning over $1 million, this tax represents a new financial obligation. Despite concerns about potential negative impacts on this demographic, the actual cost to the state’s richest taxpayers has been balanced by the substantial public benefits.

The tax’s implementation shows a shift in how the state approaches revenue generation and wealth distribution. It challenges the narrative that higher taxes on the wealthy are inherently detrimental to the state’s economic health.

Looking forward, experts like Andrew Farnitano of the Raise Up MA Coalition anticipate that revenues from the Fair Share Amendment could increase to as much as $2 billion by the 2025 budget. This projection suggests a growing impact on the state’s ability to fund essential services.

“The impact we’ve seen over the past few months is just the beginning,” Farnitano stated, highlighting the potential long-term benefits of this taxation approach. The anticipated increase in revenue points to a sustained and growing source of funding for public goods.

The Fair Share Amendment aligns with a national trend favoring increased taxation of the wealthy. A Politico/Morning Consult poll in 2021 showed that 74 percent of Americans supported higher taxes for the wealthiest, while a Gallup survey in 2022 indicated that over half of the respondents favored redistributing wealth through heavy taxation on the rich.

These statistics reflect a growing consensus across the United States for more equitable tax policies. The success of Massachusetts’ millionaire’s tax might encourage other states to consider similar measures.

Not everyone is on board with the millionaire’s tax. Critics like Paul Diego Craney of the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance argue that such policies drive wealth out of the state, a sentiment echoed by other conservative voices. They contend that punishing success is counterproductive and could lead to an exodus of wealth and talent from Massachusetts.

However, experts note that it is too soon to determine the tax’s impact on state demographics and whether there is a direct correlation between the tax and any out-migration trends.

Despite the influx from the millionaire’s tax, Massachusetts faces challenges in other areas of state revenue. The overall state revenue collections are falling short of expectations, a situation attributed to broader macroeconomic trends like a slowdown in durable goods purchasing and hiring.

In this context, Farnitano argues that the decline in other state revenues highlights the importance of the Fair Share Amendment. “Without this new tax, we wouldn’t be able to make these new investments,” he said, underscoring the amendment’s role in sustaining public service funding.

In its first year, the Fair Share Amendment has demonstrated the potential of targeted wealth taxes to significantly benefit public services. As Massachusetts navigates the challenges and benefits of this new tax, other states and policymakers will likely watch closely.

“These fundamental investments are needed to ensure our economy works for everyone, not just the wealthiest,” states Farnitano. This is “only possible because the voters passed this constitutional amendment and we created this new tax.”

(NationOfChange.org)

MAUREEN CALLAHAN: The latest document dump in the Jeffrey Epstein child sex trafficking case includes the names of very powerful, prominent people - Bill Clinton among them, of whom Epstein reportedly said, 'Clinton likes them young'. Clinton himself claims to have no knowledge of Epstein's 'terrible crimes'. Also mentioned in this latest trove: Prince Andrew. Let's recall the Prince's statement in 2019, about two months after Epstein's suicide. 'I continue to unequivocally regret my ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein', Andrew said - an association that began in 1999, continued long after Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting an underage prostitute, and allegedly included trips to Epstein's private island, known to locals as 'pedophile island.' 'His suicide has left many unanswered questions', Andrew's statement continued, 'particularly for his victims, and I deeply sympathize . . . Of course, I am willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required'. Is 'required' the key qualifier here? It certainly seems so. No wonder conspiracy theories abound as to Epstein's manner of death. Not one single person on Epstein's flight logs or visitors to his NYC townhouse or his Palm Beach mansion or his private island, save Maxwell, have ever been called to account.

CARTOONIST DAN O’NEILL WRITES:

It's not right TRUMP has an Enemy List without me. Here's my entry. Pass it on.

SANDERS: “NO MORE US FUNDING” FOR ISRAEL AS IT WAGES “ILLEGAL” ASSAULT ON GAZA

The senator is calling on Congress to reject a bill to send $10 billion in military funding to Israel.

by Sharon Zhang

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) has issued a stern call for lawmakers to reject a proposal to send Israel additional military assistance to bolster its assault on Gaza as the Palestinian death toll surpasses 22,000.

On Tuesday, Sanders released a statement calling for “no more U.S. funding for [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s illegal and immoral war against the Palestinian people,” saying that Congress should reject the proposed funding bill that would send $10.1 billion in military funding to Israel on top of the billions in military assistance that the U.S. already sends each year.

“The issue we face with Israel-Gaza is not complicated,” Sanders said.

Noting that he believes Hamas’s October 7 attack was the beginning of the current conflict — perhaps overlooking the decades of Israeli apartheid and occupation in Palestine leading up to the attack — Sanders continued, “we must also recognize that Israel’s military response has been grossly disproportionate, immoral, and in violation of international law. And, most importantly for Americans, we must understand that Israel’s war against the Palestinian people has been significantly waged with U.S. bombs, artillery shells, and other forms of weaponry.”

Indeed, U.S. intelligence reports have found that a whopping 22,000 of the bombs that Israeli forces dropped on Gaza in the first month and a half of Israel’s current assault were U.S.-made. These bombs could have been drawn from many sources: the over 70,000 weapons that the U.S. has sent to Israel over the past decades, the normally highly guarded U.S. weapons stockpile that officials are allowing Israeli forces to access, or the thousands of bombs and weapons that Biden administration officials are currently secretively funneling to Israeli forces.

The administration has been so determined to send more weapons to Israel, in fact, that it has now twice circumvented Congress in order to approve arms sales. President Joe Biden was behind the request for $10.1 billion in military assistance to Israel, which is awaiting approval from Congress.

Sanders highlighted the brutality of Israel’s assault in his statement, noting that 85 percent of people in Gaza have been forcibly displaced, 70 percent of homes in Gaza have been destroyed and the entire population of Gaza is going hungry.

“Today, not only are the vast majority of people in Gaza homeless, they lack food, water, medical supplies, and fuel,” the senator said. “The chief economist at the World Food Program said the humanitarian disaster in Gaza is among the worst he has ever seen. This cannot be allowed to continue.”

“Congress is working to pass a supplemental funding bill that includes $10 billion of unconditional military aid for the right-wing Netanyahu government to continue its brutal war against the Palestinian people,” Sanders continued. “Enough is enough. Congress must reject that funding. The taxpayers of the United States must no longer be complicit in destroying the lives of innocent men, women, and children in Gaza.”

Sanders has continually spoken out against the supplemental aid bill. Last month, he sent a letter to Biden asking the president to reject the funding bill, urging him to back a “humanitarian ceasefire,” and reverse the U.S.’s stance on vetoing UN legislation calling for a ceasefire and the release of all hostages. However, Sanders has refused to call for a permanent ceasefire, making him the target of ire of Palestinian rights advocates who maintain that a ceasefire is the only way to begin ushering lasting peace for Palestinians.

(TruthOut.org)

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

I earn my bowl of rice (not an iron rice bowl, by the way) by editing copy from fluent but not-quite-there non-native-speakers who write in English or translate into English. I am thus sensitized to misuse in a way that ordinary folks are not.

One contemporary peeve is the misuse of “forcefully” for “forcibly”. It happens so frequently in the media that it may eventually wear down the (conservative) opposition, the way that the loathed “orientate” is now considered acceptable usage.

I thought back to the 1950s, when the untouchable President Eisenhower aroused a swarm of disapproval from the grammarians for his use of “finalize”. I checked with Chat and sure enough:

“President Dwight D. Eisenhower was criticized for using the word ‘finalize’ in his speeches and writings. At the time, some critics felt that the word was not proper English and should not be used by the President of the United States. However, over time, the word has become more widely accepted and is now commonly used in everyday language.”

‘OUR PALE BLUE DOT’: Reflections From an 87-year Journey

by Walt Patterson

Once more the time rolls round to send you the traditional Solstice Greetings. I am frankly dumfounded to realize that since I arrived on this planet the earth has gone the whole way around the sun eighty-seven times. A lot has happened to me in those eighty-seven trips, and I’m delighted to find that I can still recall a lot of it, despite the stroke that hit me two years ago. Was that really only two years ago? Amazing.

In 1990 the NASA Voyager spacecraft 3.7 billion miles away took and sent back to us the photo that Carl Sagan the US astronomer called ‘The pale blue dot’. For what we call eighty-seven years, I’ve been riding this pale blue dot around the universe, as it circles an unremarkable ordinary star in a tenuous arm of what we call our local galaxy. Even on the blue dot I’ve covered a lot of ground.

Soon after I got here, Otto Frisch, Otto Hahn and Lise Meitner discovered nuclear fission in uranium. Physics had long been the most dramatic and exciting branch of science, but now nuclear physics leapt to the forefront. My first love of science was astronomy, but as an impressionable youngster I decided I wanted to study nuclear physics too. I did, acquiring a post-graduate Master’s degree, and was about to try for a PhD at the University of Edinburgh, until I changed my mind.

After leaving my home town of Winnipeg in the middle of Canada, five hundred miles from anywhere, I had spent the winter in Greenwich Village in Manhattan, crossed the Atlantic on a freighter, travelled around the UK in an old black London taxicab with two South African guys and three Australian girls, hitchhiked all over northern Europe, including an unforgettable ride with a fellow Danish hitchhiker in a vast American convertible with two young US GIs who picked us up at the Dutch-German border and drove us all the way to Copenhagen.

When I reached Wien (Vienna) on my return trip I walked to the Zentralfriedhof, the Central Cemetery, which is far from central as it proved, and found area 31, the burial place of great composers. I can’t now recall which exactly were actually buried there rather than just memorials; walking among the statues of many Strausses, and Mozart and Schubert and Beethoven and Bach, the air and my head were filled with melody, a vivid sensation.

In due course I reached Paris, and explored the riverside bookstalls along the Seine, where I was delighted to find many titles I knew were banned not only in Canada but also in the US and the UK, notably Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller and other Miller books, which I duly bought and devoured, smuggled into the UK, where with my expatriate Canadian mates I held endless boozy pub bull-sessions discussing Miller and Lawrence Durrell, from whom I’m sure I acquired a fascination with Greece.

When improbably the opportunity arose I made my way to Greece, to a remote island found by odd circumstances, where in due course the brilliant and lovely woman who became my life-mate, my late beloved Cleone joined me. Having abandoned my stated plans to gain a PhD, I had always enjoyed writing, and harbored vague thoughts of becoming a writer, and by early 1968 I at last completed what I still think of as my statutory unpublished first novel. I typed it laboriously on my battered Royal portable with six carbon copies, and sent carbons to my erstwhile Canadian pub-chat mates.

To my astonishment one of these mates, an extraordinary fellow ex-Winipegger called Bob Hunter, inspired by my novel effort, abruptly materialized to visit me at my new home with Cleone in the Bucks countryside. Now a columnist with the Vancouver Sun, Bob during his visit told us about a ferment boiling up on the west coast of North America about something called ‘the environment’. To Cleone and me this was an apocalypse, a revelation that changed our lives.

As we gradually became ‘environmentalists’, reading Barry Commoner and Paul Ehrlich, I also grew aware of a controversy involving nuclear physics, about what was called ‘nuclear power’, a topic on which I had no prior knowledge; but I spoke the language.

Poets, including the future poet laureate Ted Hughes, founded a small magazine called Your Environment. By accident I learned about it, got in touch and found out they wanted to write about radioactive waste. I offered to do a piece for them; they accepted, and I set to work to learn about radioactive waste. I then wrote an article which I entitled ‘Odorless, Tasteless and Dangerous’. Your Environment published it, and I was hooked. I began working unpaid for the little magazine, and attending press conferences about environmental issues, while I read everything I could about them. I also wrote book reviews, yet more info about environment issues.

I was not impressed by a lurid screed called ‘Perils of the Peacful Atom’, but the low-key prose of ‘The Careless Atom’ by Sheldon Novick was much more convincing. I contacted Novick, then editing a US magazine just called ‘Environment‘, and offered him a piece on ‘The British Atom’ about UK nuclear power. He accepted and I set to work gathering info.

After it appeared, I found myself learning and writing, and indeed speaking, about nuclear power and its problems. At one point, to my gratification, Penguin Books invited me to write for them a book about nuclear power. Luckily for me they also set me up with Gerry Leach as an editor; with his invaluable help I produced a text that became a Pelican book entitled Nuclear Power, that eventually sold some 130,000 copies in English, and appeared in five other languages.

Alas, as I reminisced about where I’ve been riding on the blue dot I found myself writing a memoir — a good idea, but not for Solstice Greetings. When I get to it, it will include Stockholm June 1972, Washington DC, San Francisco, Rome, Hong Kong, Vancouver, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Hiroshima, France, Toronto, Seoul, and many other places at various points on the Earth’s orbit.

Eighty-seven years after I got here the blue dot is now in serious trouble. Not the dot itself, but all of us creatures riding on it. My eighty-seven year ride coincides precisely with the time we have been living with the knowledge about nuclear fission. As I have contemplated it most of my life I have been compelled to conclude that nuclear electricity, so-called nuclear power, has never been a normal economic activity, it has never paid its way, and still does not, it has always relied on vast injections of money and resources from taxpayers and electricity users, decreed by governments.

Civil nuclear power has been in effect a cover story, to disguise the true reason for pouring so much of our wealth into this dangerous sinkhole. In the eyes of governments, the key nuclear activity has been to stockpile terrifying quantities of nuclear explosives for use as weapons, nuclear political power, in which someone says, in effect, unless you do what I want, or give me what I want, I’ll obliterate this blue dot.

As climate change makes more and more of the blue dot uninhabitable, conflicts are breaking out world-wide. We have to hope that some people, some of our fellow dot-riders, some states-people, can find a way to defuse the nuclear threat.

Best wishes for a better 2024 — Walt.

This first appeared on Beyond Nuclear International. 

(Walt Patterson is a Fellow of the Energy, Environment and Resources Programme at Chatham House in London. He is a Fellow of the Energy Institute, London, and a Visiting Fellow of the Science Policy Research Unit at the University of Sussex. He is chair of the Seoul International Energy Advisory Council and a founder-member of the International Energy Advisory Council.)