Letters 3/20/2025

• Sorry Saga
• DA Indicts Self
• Coalitions Needed
• How-To: A To-Do List
• Russia Wins
• The Trump Dictionary
• Wasting Public Funds
• Word Cuts

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SORRY SAGA

To the Editor:

First, thanks for your excellent comprehensive reporting on the Chemise Cubbison debacle. It’s gone on for so long, with numerous twists and turns, that it was difficult to keep track. We especially appreciated the regular inclusion of a summary of events so far, such as the articles by Mike Geniella, including the recent one when the case was dismissed. We rely on you to provide info and insights, and your reporters have done exactly that!

This case has been going on for more than a year, and the whole time I was concerned (then relieved) about the possibility of being called to Jury Duty, having to make decisions about the complex facts and keeping it all straight. Fortunately, my fears were ungrounded!

Now the question comes: Who will pay for the expensive lawyer and court costs? Strong opinion in our household is that David Eyster should be held accountable for this whole sorry, totally unnecessary mess, out of his own pocket! He’s the one that started it all, and our community should fully expect that actions like his have DIRE consequences. Our taxes have enough legitimate and life-improving uses. There’s no room for unnecessary $400/hour lawyers! There’s a petition going around to dismantle the Department of Finance, and to recreate the old structures of Assessor, Auditor, and Tax Collector, repairing the damage that combining them caused. We’re signing it, and I’m planning to speak to the BOS when it comes up. Join us — Let’s get past this bad move and RECTIFY IT, so we can deal with life-improving issues for our delightful county!

Thanks for your excellent reporting on this sorry story, we’ll keep reading!

Annie Gould, Doug Pratt

Ukiah

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DA INDICTS SELF

To the Editor:

What has become known as the “Cubbison Affair” is not only another blow to the already sullied reputation of Mendocino County, it is an indictment of the corrupt administration of District Attorney David Eyster.

Before the Cubbison Affair, Eyster had already developed a reputation of being a bully. A few years ago when I was on jury duty, I witnessed this for myself when Eyster, acting as the lead prosecutor in a criminal case, browbeat a prospective juror over his honest answers to the questions asked of him. Mind you, this was not a hostile witness, but a prospective juror doing his duty as an American citizen.

Eyster’s transparent attempt to bully the county’s auditor-controller, Chamise Cubbison, into resigning her position because she had the audacity to question the DA’s spending of public funds on lavish parties for his staff, is an unmitigated abuse of power. When Cubbison refused to resign upon Eyster’s threat of a bogus criminal indictment, Eyster then wasted likely over $100,000.00 of taxpayer money pursuing the indictment that was just recently laughed out of court by District Court Judge Ann Moorman. As an elected official, Eyster cannot be fired, the only remedy for the residents of Mendocino County is a recall election. Throw the bum out!

The Mendocino County Board of Superiors is not without fault in the Cubbison Affair, as they put her on administrative leave without pay, without even giving her an opportunity to respond to Eyster’s charges. This is a gross deprivation of due process by the county’s top officials for which the county is now being sued by Cubbison and which will likely cost the county additional tens of thousands of dollars in damages. The level of incompetence of Mendocino County’s governing board is staggering.

Jon Spitz

Laytonville

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COALITIONS NEEDED

Editor:

Democrats are practicing losing again, savaging Gavin Newsom’s declaration that trans women competing in women’s sports may have unfair advantages. Yes, get rid of Newsom; Republicans will look after trans kids.

Democratic insistence on issue alignment ruptures coalitions. Republicans happily work with anyone who agrees with them most of the time. They build successful institutions and alliances pushing antidemocratic policies to victory while Dems ice pick one another over subtleties that leave voters concerned that their priorities are being ignored.

Democrats should defend all civil liberties, full stop, but Pew Research found only “0.5% to 0.6% of Americans generally, and 1.4% of teens identify as transgender.” This doesn’t make them unworthy of protection, but as a party banner fronting trans bathrooms or sports doesn’t compete with Social Security, decimation of the Department of Veterans Affairs and Medicare. Maybe our millionaires should imitate Republicans by funding think-tanks, institutions and viable networks rather than running for office?

Who will support more Democratic norms and institutions — Newsom or JD Vance? The answer is any Democrat.

Thousands dismissed from the VA, kids dying of measles again, the Supreme Court controlled by billionaire cash while Dems snipe at a compelling candidate for issue deviance. Donald Trump didn’t campaign to undermine democracy. He won power. That’s the ball to watch.

Peter Coyote

Sebastopol

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HOW-TO: A TO-DO LIST

Editor:

Here’s a to-do list for every voter and nonvoter:

Research any particular federal government position to find out what key job responsibilities they achieve regularly to help average Americans (i.e., us).

Identify a federal or state government position or office and thank them (through email or personal contact) for the incredible effort they give on a daily basis through great dedication.

Buy local as much as you can to help offset the economic damage being wrought on our own people because of tariffs.

Follow multiple sources of news to make sure you get a complete perspective on the issues at hand and not fall prey to disinformation.

With family, remember and share stories of our own immigrant roots and have empathy toward newcomers who are living with fear and feelings of isolation.

Dana Parnay

Healdsburg

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RUSSIA WINS

Editor:

To date, Russia has seized around 20% of Ukraine. After the shameful display of international bullying in the Oval Office on Feb. 28, it is fair to say that Russia has also seized around 50% of the United States. The embarrassment of that anti-diplomatic display is gut wrenching. I have faith that European nations will step up to the challenge of defeating Vladimir Putin’s naked aggression. For now, no one should be foolish enough to count on the U.S. for support. We stand alone in the shadow of the Kremlin.

Brian Narelle

Rohnert Park

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THE TRUMP DICTIONARY

To the Editor:

It’s outrageous that the federal government is banning or limiting so many essential words from documents, including the word “women,” along with “gender,” “sex,” “underserved” and “pregnant people.” The word “men” is — of course — fine, as long as it is not in the phrase “men who have sex with men.”

Women are more than half of the population! We pay a lot in taxes, and share many needs and concerns, such as health issues and a greater probability of low wages, poverty and experience of domestic violence and sexual assault.

Two people working on health care grants have told me that mentions of women, as well as “reproductive health,” have to come out of grant reports and proposals — despite the criminal neglect of women’s health by the medical profession for most of our history and continuing into the present.

Evidently, a group of unmentionable second-class citizens should stop competing with men for jobs, political office, influence in family decisions or anything else, and instead have many more children, but without informed medical care, education or outreach.

Mary King

Portland, Oregon

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WASTING PUBLIC FUNDS

Editor:

As a scientist, I am troubled that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is planning to use our funds to have the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigate a possible connection between vaccines and autism. This is despite many scientific research projects that have found absolutely no connection. I think that DOGE and Elon Musk should be notified of this waste of our taxpayers’ money. There are so many better uses in the medical arena.

Julian Blair

Santa Rosa

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WORD CUTS

To the Editor:

It’s outrageous that the federal government is banning or limiting so many essential words from documents, including the word “women,” along with “gender,” “sex,” “underserved” and “pregnant people.” The word “men” is — of course — fine, as long as it is not in the phrase “men who have sex with men.”

Women are more than half of the population! We pay a lot in taxes, and share many needs and concerns, such as health issues and a greater probability of low wages, poverty and experience of domestic violence and sexual assault.

Two people working on health care grants have told me that mentions of women, as well as “reproductive health,” have to come out of grant reports and proposals — despite the criminal neglect of women’s health by the medical profession for most of our history and continuing into the present.

Evidently, a group of unmentionable second-class citizens should stop competing with men for jobs, political office, influence in family decisions or anything else, and instead have many more children, but without informed medical care, education or outreach.

Mary King

Portland, Oregon