Letters (January 16, 2024)

• Year End Crime Stats
• Climate-Defeating Decree
• Ukiah Hospice Help Needed
• First Fort Bragg Fight Of 2024
• Underappreciated Animal Control
• Happy New Year!
• Not Earning The Big Pay
• Tommy Smothers
• Supreme Conflict
• Be Aware Or Beware?
• Ukiah Meals On (Delayed) Wheels
• Right-O, Steve

YEAR END CRIME STATS

Editor,

At the end of each year, I work with my Undersheriff looking over statistics and adjusting our responses to various crime trends. We often look over directions we have gone to ensure the needs are still being met and to determine whether we can place more effort in some areas which are problematic while trying to stay ahead of problems to come. I am happy to say Mendocino County is well below the national average on many of our crimes and as a county we have been trending in a good direction. 

While we continue working on these issues I am hopeful we continue to see a decrease in crime. I will list our statistics at the bottom of this article. I would like to also encourage everyone to look over the citizen connect portal through our website.

Our Dispatch Center received 82,905 calls in 2022 and in 2023, we received 67,077. Not all calls to our dispatch generate investigations. Many are medical calls, vehicle accidents and information regarding events occurring in our communities. 

Our calls for service which generated investigations remained within a percentage point of 2022, however have declined by almost 10% in the past 4 years. Please understand although our calls for service have decreased calls per deputy has increased as is the case with many agencies suffering staffing shortages. 

Our homicides are down from 2020 however up from 2022. In 2022 we experienced only 3 homicides while in 2023 we had 6. We have developed suspects and made arrests in nearly all homicide cases this year. We have one outstanding homicide suspect and one case which we have yet to develop a suspect in. Domestic Violence cases rose slightly during 2020 however have declined since that time.

Robbery has also been on the decline since 2020 however we saw a slight increase over the past year. Burglary has also declined over the past few years. Assault with Deadly Weapons and crimes against persons are always a top priority and we have seen these numbers fluctuating slightly over the past few years however remaining fairly static from year to year. 

Thefts and general larceny crimes remain high and there is a disturbing trend of people and businesses not reporting these crimes. Thefts of mail, packages and thefts from retail shops has continued to rise across the state and I am hopeful we can get these crimes under control. 

Recently one of our off duty personnel had to intervene during an organized retail theft committed by several people at once in our county. This activity is occurring much too frequently. 

We have seen a decrease in Coroner’s investigations over the past four years. In 2023 We had 370 coroner’s investigations of which 206 were natural causes. 89 accidental deaths which include vehicles accident, fire, airplane crash and overdose. Out of the 89 accidental deaths, 49 were drug overdose or death due to a medical condition which was caused by drug abuse. Narcotics are still responsible for over 50% of our accidental deaths.

We had 22 coroner’s referrals which are deaths that are often natural however are mandated to be investigated under the government code. These deaths include however are not limited to investigations when a person hasn’t been seen by a physician within 21 days, or died of a communicable disease. We have several cases which are pending classification which will be completed within the next couple of months following pathology results. We also had 25 suicides which is an extremely high number of deaths for our county. 

Mental Health Cases in which a person was taken into custody under 5150 WIC remain much lower than years past. This is mainly due to the partnership we have formed with the Mendocino County Behavioral Health Department. We began the dual response unit in 2021 and have continued working with highly trained behavioral health specialists. Our numbers dramatically decreased following the implementation of this team and although we were up slightly from last year we are still down over 50% from 2020. I am hopeful we will see these numbers continue to decrease. 

Arsons continue to be a huge concern for Mendocino County. We have seen a significant reduction in arsons over the past several years. We have also solved several arsons which were prosecuted by our District Attorney’s Office, I believe this has helped us reduce these numbers.

We are still seeing a significant number of missing persons in Mendocino County. Much of this is due to the availability of outdoor activities such as hiking, hunting and fishing which Mendocino County was always a little famous for. Our search and rescue team has completed many searches and continues to be a great asset for our communities. They were recently honored with the donations of safety jackets from the Rotary Clubs in Mendocino County. The volunteers have given us countless hours and truly serve their communities.

In the Mendocino County Jail we received 4105 bookings and released 4171 subjects in 2023. Our staffing continues to increase, and we are working with many partners to serve the needs of those incarcerated in our facility while keeping our communities safe. Our Corrections Staff has worked tirelessly and continues to serve us well.

Our inmate services staff has continued to serve our inmate population and our communities by providing opportunities through accountability. We were able to fill the restorative justice coordinator position by hiring Buffey Bourassa who has been a key addition to our team. As we continue into 2024 I remain hopeful we will reduce crime and work together with our communities to make Mendocino County a safe and welcoming place. 

Sheriff Matt Kendall

Ukiah

CLIMATE-DEFEATING DECREE

Dear Editor,

The January 9, 2024 Board of Supervisors will vote to adopt agenda item (3H): “Resolution No. 24- Resolution Of The Mendocino County Board Of Supervisors Renewing A Declaration Of A Local Emergency Related To Climate Change”

This resolution is ironic given that Dr. Jenine Miller the Interim Public Health Director, has informed staff that all Public Health meetings are now to be held in person and not over Zoom or Teams. Is the Board aware of this?

In a county as geographically large as ours, this technology has been instrumental in allowing employees (and community partners) from all corners of the county to efficiently do their jobs. Dr. Miller’s decision means that employees not only from north county, the north and south coasts, but those working in even greater distances including out-of-county, must travel up to 3-4 hours one way, wasting the better part of the day and your taxpayer dollars. This is not only a waste of time and money, but also directly opposed to the spirit of this resolution. It is not ‘green’.

Why Dr. Miller made this decision is not known, but I suspect it has to do with control over Public Health employees, many of whom disagree with having a psychologist instead of someone experienced in public health appointed as Interim Director. Since her appointment, there have been 20 senior, experienced, long-term employees who have left public health. This has created a serious loss of institutional knowledge that is dangerous to the public and will take years to remedy. The public health system is like your computer’s operating system that runs in the background. It must be up-to-date so that if a (literal) virus attacks, it can defend us.

I will say this again, Public Health needs a qualified, experienced Public Health Director. Trying to save money by appointing Dr. Miller as Interim Public Health Director is another example of the short-sighted, penny-wise but pound-foolish approach to problems this Board likes to adopt.

Julie Beardsley, MPH

Mendocino County Senior Public Health Analyst (Retired)

President, SEIU Local 1021 (Retired)

Ukiah

UKIAH HOSPICE HELP NEEDED

To the Editor: 

Hospice of Ukiah is seeking an experienced Social Worker. This is an ideal job for a retired or semi retired person with Social Work background. It’s part time and low pay, but the rewards are the satisfaction of working with an amazing Team, meeting and helping Hospice clients with so many needs, setting your own schedule. 

Earn your wings and join Hospice of Ukiah in its mission of support and compassion. 

Janet M. Denninger, Executive Director 

Hospice of Ukiah

HospiceOfUkiah.com

FIRST FORT BRAGG FIGHT OF 2024

Editor,

Well, 2024 is just a few minutes old and I’ve already had my 1st fight of the year! I often get my morning cuppa from the nearby Starbucks; not b /c I like corporate coffee; but this is very close to where I live, i can hop on my electric w/chair and b there in 10 minutes; so that’s nice, and of course I’ve become pals with the baristas and some of the other locals who visit the place; well today I rolled in and as I set up in my little corner; some out of towner was berating them about something(IDK what ) but she was VERY arrogant and berating the entire staff saying lots of shitty things like “I NEVER had this happen at any other Starbucks, just you guys, congratulations!” She was just awful and it was painful to watch, as she left the counter she was facing me and I told her that her attitude sucked and needed to change; our voices got very loud; she told me I needed to mind my own business.

Me: I’d love to but you’re doing this in a public space

She (In a louder voice):I’ve never had such awful service at any other Starbucks.

Me:(at a volume level that matched hers): whatever; that doesn’t give you the right to berate people.

She(in a quieter voice; realizing that I was not going to back down): so call the police.

Me: also in a quieter voice to match hers, but loud enough that I was certain the staff could hear me: I’d love to, but they don’t arrest people for being Assholes.

With that she spun on her heels, walked out to her fancy new SUV smoked a cigarette and left.

And the staff expressed a lot of verbal gratitude and paid for my coffee.

Hello 2024!

Chris Skyhawk

Fort Bragg

UNDERAPPRECIATED ANIMAL CONTROL

Dear AVA and readers, 

Happy New Year 2024. We made it! 

Here I am and I got to reflect upon a vehicle that just drove by headed northbound toward Willits. To me this service(s) is the most harsh next to funeral(s) and neglect where the innocence of man’s best friends suffer a silent genocide of lethal injection. I would be a (tiny) bit happier if these services workers got more: (a) benefits, (b) economic recognition, as well as therapy for the terrible jobs they perform daily. Please send a note to our special elected persons to recognize this unappreciated service. 

Sincerely yours,

Greg Crawford

Fort Bragg

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Dear AVA,

Thank you for the AVA! Whether one loves it, hates it, or is in between, they have to admit it is unique and loaded with terroir! 

David Svehla

San Francisco

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

TOMMY SMOTHERS

Editor: 

Tommy and Dick Smothers were attending San Jose State University when they got their big break at the Purple Onion in San Francisco in 1959. I was lucky enough to interview Tommy while I was finishing my bachelor’s degree in journalism at San Jose State in 1998. Our student newspaper, the Spartan Daily, was doing a semester-end article about music styles that were popular throughout the school’s history. Tommy told me that he and Dick had planned to go back and finish their degrees but never got around to it. They both enjoyed their time at San Jose State.

Tommy said he could barely find the campus in later years due to the population explosion in San Jose and Silicon Valley. San Jose’s population in 2023 is 1.8 million. In 1960, it was 204,196. Tommy’s memory of San Jose was that it was mostly fruit orchards and wide open.

Ed Oberweiser

Fort Bragg

SUPREME CONFLICT

Dear Editor,

The Senate chooses our Supreme Court justices.It doesn’t choose justice’s partners. Justice Clarence Thomas’s wife is Virginia “Ginny” Thomas. Many voters will recall the presidential campaign in 2019 and 2020. Recall GOP candidate D.J. Trump calling on the “Proud Boys” (among his most avid supporters) to stand down and stand by!” The media ignored it. This happened during his debate with Joe Biden. President Trump before that election stated that he thought the election was a “fraud.” 

The Democratic candidate, J. Biden, won. Yet the oddest thing happened: President Trump refused to acknowledge that he had lost. Secret meetings were held; one in a Washington, D.C. hotel. It was attended by Mrs. “Ginny” Thomas at which she joined the election denying group that planned the Jan. 6^th protest-riot. 

Former President Trump is running again for President. Two states, Colorado and Maine, have barred his name from their ballots. The issue is before the Supreme Court. Justice Thomas must recuse himself from this decision since his wife acted to support Trump’s attempted coup d’etat against the US government.

Frank H. Baumgardner, III 

Santa Rosa

BE AWARE OR BEWARE?

Editor: 

Recently, I downloaded a trial subscription to ChatGPT. I asked it to compare Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” with generative AI in 180 words. When I pressed “enter” it immediately responded. In 10 seconds, it was done. It was like it was waiting for the question.

If I had been willing to submit its comparison with some inflated addendum warning of an “existential threat,” ChatGPT’s conclusion is likely what you would be reading right now. It was that good. And I liked the letter I had written.

So then, what is there to worry about? I don’t know. But “be aware” and “beware” seem to be converging on the same moment. Should we be concerned that Meta, Google and Amazon are investing billions in developing this tool? The question is not rhetorical.

What’s certain? There will be a Dr. No for every Madame Currie. For every successful parsing of the human genome that results in an extended life (Frankenstein’s goal), someone will be interrogating the vulnerabilities of our social foundations to exploit its flaws. There seems a real likelihood that we will have a longer life in a dystopian world.

Maybe this is an existential threat after all.

Jeff Argentine

Petaluma

UKIAH MEALS ON (DELAYED) WHEELS

To the Editor: 

I started getting Meals on Wheels in 1987. The food is substantial and the MOW volunteers are incredible. But this Christmas all MOW participants had to wait four days for the Christmas meal. Some participants are isolated and have only the MOW volunteers at Christmas. I trust in 2024 that the Christmas meal be delivered on the designated day, not four days later. 

Patricia Owen

Ukiah 

RIGHT-O, STEVE

Editor: 

The discussions on how to save Social Security drive me crazy. The answer is simple. Just remove the annual cap on how much income is taxed for Social Security. Why should a person who makes $168,600 pay the same amount as a person who makes $500,000 or $1 million?

Stevie Lazo

Santa Rosa