- Landlines Must Be Preserved
- I Hope We Choose Wisely
- Speak Up For Starving Children In Gaza
- Staying Silent In The Face Of Injustice Won’t Protect Anyone
- Class K Unfairness
- On The Road
- We Cannot Be Silent About Starvation In Gaza
- Ugly Dog Contest? How About Ugly Owners?
- Maybe Someday The Populace Will Rule
- Close Call With Measles Has Been Daily Reminder
- Blame Scarface
- How Could You?
- Rapid Ice Expansion Won't Make Anyone Safer
LANDLINES MUST BE PRESERVED
Hi AVA Community:
Nevada County Supervisor Sue Hoek is very active in her efforts to preserve landline service in rural California communities. Perhaps Mendocino County Supervisors or other representatives can join her work.
Even though I’m primarily a City-dweller, I remember how important my landline was when I woke up in Washington, DC the morning of September 11, 2001. We need to oppose AB 540.
Supervisor Hoek’s press release on the issue is here: https://nevadacountyca.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=8162
Lisa Charbonneau
Oakland
I HOPE WE CHOOSE WISELY
Editor,
When we first interviewed Neil Cervenka for Chief of Police, I’ll be honest — I was the only one in the room who didn’t want to hire him. My instinct told me we needed a “hammer” — someone who could come in hard, quickly impose discipline, and reshape the department in a matter of months.
Then Interim Chief Naulty pulled me aside. He said, “I know what you’re saying, and you’re correct — the other candidate would be the hammer you’re looking for. He’d take six months to reshape the department. But then what? Those other programs you want to build — homeless services, treatment, mental health help — he won’t touch them. Neil will take longer — maybe a year — to change the department. But those programs? He’ll run with them.”
That conversation changed my mind. I gave Neil my full support — and I was right to do so. He ran with those programs, and in doing so, gained local, state, and even national attention for Fort Bragg’s efforts.
A few months after Neil was hired, we had a shooting in the south end of town. Not long after, I happened to drive by the scene and saw the Chief in the field with several officers, personally training them on crime scene work. It was a reminder that leadership isn’t just about policy — it’s about showing up.
Were there problems in the Police Department? Absolutely. There always are. There were long before Neil got here, and there will be after he’s gone. Most of the challenges he faced in his first two years were holdovers from a previous chief who never truly settled into Fort Bragg. For me, the question was always: how did the Chief handle the issues when they landed on his desk?
Every time there was a problem, I’d get briefed, listen, and end with the same thing: “I’m sorry this happened and that you have to deal with it — but I’m also glad it’s your problem and you’re the one dealing with it.”
Did we always agree? No. Who does? What mattered was how the disagreements were handled — with mutual respect and a lot of listening. Neil’s tenure proved something important: public safety isn’t just about cracking down — it’s about building up. It’s about working across agencies, tackling root causes, and having a Chief who can take the long road to create lasting change.
The top spot always gets the criticism — rightly so, I guess. That’s just the way things work. Neil will take his like a pro. But now, Fort Bragg is set to get a new chief. Outside of an immediate promotion from within, a realistic process will take at least six months to find someone, and perhaps a couple more to get a contract done.
You know the old adage: careful what you wish for? Some are about to find out. My hope is the city will find an amazing chief who will continue to build on the department, retain good officers, keep morale high, and see value in the programs already in place. But the truth is, the opposite could very well happen and it could happen in the Police Department.
For the sake of Fort Bragg, I hope we choose wisely.
Bernie Norvell, 4th District Supervisor
Fort Bragg
SPEAK UP FOR STARVING CHILDREN IN GAZA
Editor:
Day after day, week after week, news articles from around the world document the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Children are dying of starvation. Medical facilities have run out of supplies, and people are dying for lack of necessary care. Trucks are loaded with food and medical supplies across the border, but most have not been allowed in. How do we help stop this horror?
I am the daughter of Holocaust survivors. My parents endured that horror and raised me to do what I could to stand up for fairness for all — to recognize our common humanity and speak out against injustice toward any of us. We must not look away from the preventable starvation of the children of Gaza.
I just read a book by Omar El Akkad titled “One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This,” documenting our failure to stop this. A line from that book that stirs me is this: “It may seem now like it’s someone else’s children, but there’s no such thing as someone else’s children.” These are our children. May we join together to speak up for them and for a world where all children may thrive.
Madelyn Hodges
Tomales
STAYING SILENT IN THE FACE OF INJUSTICE WON’T PROTECT ANYONE
Editor:
Immigration detention and deportation are cruel. When Immigration and Customs Enforcement says they are only going after “the bad ones,” they are lying and denying people’s right to due process, and to solidarity and help from others.
Among growing numbers of cases, Hector David Azana Vega lived in Sonoma County while seeking asylum from his native Peru, and had done everything correctly. Yet he was taken by ICE on July 25 (“ICE detains Sonoma County asylum seeker here legally: group,” July 31).
Many people don’t speak out because they think they won’t be targeted, but we have seen ICE arrest people of all immigration statuses, including legal permanent residents and U.S. citizens, based on anything from racial profiling to First Amendment protected speech.
Staying quiet because ICE is only “going after the criminals” will not protect you, your friends or neighbors. See ways to defend our communities: North Bay Rapid Response Network — northbayop.org/nbrrn
Elaine Wellin
Santa Rosa
CLASS K UNFAIRNESS
To the Editor:
I have read the June 6, 2025 Mendocino County Civil Grand Jury’s report, “Planning and Building Department Structural Issues: Exposing the Cracks.” The report reveals significant issues with the Class K permit process, and county staff now agree the permit is being misused, leading to a host of problems.
The report highlights, but between the lines in our realities, that wealthy residents and business owners benefit from lax regulations also while the general public suffers.
This regulatory failure has far-reaching consequences. From a safety perspective, unregulated structures pose a significant risk, particularly with wildfire danger. The report notes that these structures can also serve as hidden locations for criminal activities, such as those connected to the ongoing crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women.
The misuse of the Class K permit is also tied to broader socioeconomic issues. The popularity of Additional Dwelling Units (ADUs) for profit, such as Airbnbs, has exacerbated the affordable housing crisis, as exemplified in Sonoma County. The report suggests that the Class K permit, while intended to help rural homeowners, largely benefited the “boomer” generation and has not adapted to the transparency and needs of a more diverse population of taxpayers.
The influence of the cannabis industry and the “back-to-the-land” movement had a history of honorable protest and autonomy, but it must also acknowledge the displacement of Native peoples. The report’s findings, while addressing many of these dangers, are limited in focus on financial burdens, and I recommend more income generation and fully addressing the underlying issues of greed and systemic inequality.
There is a culture of favoritism, nepotism, and double standards within the code enforcement department, where a “badge holder” culture protects certain individuals and businesses from scrutiny. Some code enforcement staffers are ex-law enforcement, and there is a perception that equitable treatment is not applied to those outside this network. This culture of not holding people in power accountable is linked to a mindset of “this is how we have always done it,” a practice that hinders progress and modernization. I argue this is a regressive mindset and practice that must be eliminated.
Looking forward, the report calls for changes, including holding violators accountable for code violations and a re-evaluation of how business is conducted in the county. I suggest that the BOS investigate and address why improved living spaces and cost of living or housing are so expensive for residents.
Additionally, the report recommends increased training for staff and more accountability at all levels of leadership to ensure that codes are applied consistently and fairly. I believe that if the “old guard” is unwilling to change, they must be replaced. It is “backasswards” to not modernize effective procedures, operations, ordinances and enforcement. This view of “this is how we’ve always done things” models the lifestyle of 1970, the community values of 1950, and the geographical wishes of 1850. The way forward is not the old, the past, or the unchanged.
This “wild west” mentality, with its lack of transparency and enforcement, has led to substandard living conditions, environmental degradation, and a decline in public trust. By prioritizing accountability, modernization, and equitable application of the law, the county can improve public safety, increase tax revenue, and build a more just and prosperous community for all residents. This requires a shift from a system that protects the interests of a few to one that serves the welfare of the many.
Alexander Templeton
Ukiah
ON THE ROAD
Editor,
Traveling to Yosemite
Made my way with the family to Yosemite this week. It was hot, but the crowds were relatively light.
The valley feels like a bustling city with honking horns and buses. Hiked to the top of Yosemite Falls in sweltering conditions. Escaped the valley and headed to Tuolumne Meadows and Tenaya Lake. Very pleasant up there. Didn’t see any bears unfortunately.
Some thoughts on getting there: it’s laughable that the Narrows south of Petaluma still are under construction. This is coming from someone who works for Caltrans. I feel like it has more to do with Marin County’s desire to isolate themselves just like they did when they voted down BART.
And HWY 12 is in desperate need of a facelift.
Now it’s back to school time. Already planning the trip for next year. Happy trails everyone.
Kirk Vodopals
Navarro
WE CANNOT BE SILENT ABOUT STARVATION IN GAZA
Editor:
“We are just numbers.” That’s how it feels reading about a child starving to death in Gaza — a baby, Esraa Abu Halib’s daughter, who weighed less than she did at birth. She was taken to the pediatric department at Nasser Hospital, but it was too late. She was already dead.
How is it possible that we, as human beings, allow this to happen — and worse, that some actively support it? Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced two resolutions to block specific weapons transfers to Israel. These measures could have prevented more horror, but they were defeated. California Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla voted in favor of sending more ammunition to Israel, further fueling this humanitarian catastrophe.
As I imagined what it must feel like for a mother to watch her child die of hunger, I couldn’t stay silent. What if it were your child? As women — mothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers — we must stand up. Our children are the future. If we stay quiet while this continues, what kind of future are we allowing to take shape?
Elaine B. Holtz
Santa Rosa
UGLY DOG CONTEST? HOW ABOUT UGLY OWNERS?
Editor:
Out of respect for the semi-cruel canine entries in the ugly dog contest, it seems only fair that there should be an ugly owner contest as well, if only to provide some balance (“Perfectly imperfect, Petunia is World’s Ugliest Dog,” Aug. 10). Contestants would not be required to have a contender in the ugly dog contest; ownership of any dog will do. Who’s laughing now?
Wayne Gibb
Forestville
MAYBE SOMEDAY THE POPULACE WILL RULE
Editor:
Long ago, well before the development of language, clan leaders modified behavior manually. A stiff wallop probably worked wonders, whereas a regimen of abuse most likely maintained obedience. That is, until the dominated decided to become the dominator. Eventually, I imagine, the consequences of violent leadership changes grew wearisome. Probably, one of the deposed chieftains proposed coup reforms.
Since dictators are paranoid, the former leaders probably handpicked the new ones, and the beat went on, and clans transitioned from one cockamamie leader to the next. About 507 BC, the Athenians developed a peaceful solution. It was called “Demokratia,” which meant ruled by the people. I imagine that caused a controversy.
Now, Americans say they believe in the consensus rule philosophy, but do everything to prevent it. We gerrymander, suppress voter eligibility and use money to shape opinions. We hold elections, but the mentality is the same now as in the past. The leaders don’t trust the masses, and the masses don’t trust leadership. If things are going to change, leadership must demonstrate honesty and strive to make elections fair. Someday, the populace might rule the United States.
Tom Fantulin
Fort Bragg
CLOSE CALL WITH MEASLES HAS BEEN DAILY REMINDER
Editor,
I am a rubeola (aka measles) survivor and I am writing in support of the vaccination rules for Marin schools. When I was near death as a 4-year-old, I remember the hypnotic, compelling inner voice insisting that I just give up and sink comfortably into the abyss. I consciously stepped back and said no.
Sixty-eight years later, that memory lives with me vividly every day. I was lucky. Back then as a small child, I chose to survive. My life since that time has been filled with a mixture of experiences which I do not regret, both joyous and not.
In today’s world, we have a measles vaccine. There are childhood memories far more worthy than mine of a near encounter with death.
Stephen Petterle
Novato
BLAME SCARFACE
Editor,
Writing in the London Review of Books recently, Bee Wilson describes Al Pacino in ‘Scarface’ as having an “overdone Cuban accent.” In fact, his portrayal of Tony, Montana was a racist character, and its consequences linger to this day. The film’s propaganda about Mariel Boatlift Cuban refugees begins as early as the film’s pseudo factual opening titles, which referred to Castro sending “the dregs of his jails” to the United States.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s when I was researching US immigration prisons, Cuban prisoners told me in interviews that the movie’s influence became part of the circular logic which allowed US immigration officials to keep them locked up for years as “administrative detainees.“ They weren’t imagining this. In 1986, three years after the movie’s release, a former advisor to the New York Senator Alfonse D’Amato wrote that the behavior of Mariel Cubans was “so violent and unusual that Hollywood was inspired to produce a movie entitled ‘Scarface,’ which portrayed the tremendously violent behavior exhibited by these Cubans.”
Today the Trump administration relies on rhetoric about immigration crime, uses tattoos as justification for incarceration, and repeats baseless claims that countries such as Venezuela are “emptying their prisons” and “sending their worst“ to the US. All are intentional adaptations by Trump, Stephen Miller, and the rest of the propaganda about Mariel Cuban’s exemplified by ‘Scarface.’ Pacino, as he proudly says of the film in his memoir, “could live on the residuals — for life.”
Mark Dow
Brooklyn, New York
HOW COULD YOU?
Editor:
As immigrants in 1951 from postwar Germany we were meet with a fair amount of understandable hostility. One of the most frequent questions we were asked was, "How could you let an authoritarian party take over your government?" At the time I had no answer that would satisfy the question. Now almost 75 years later the response is obvious: "Right back at you, America."
Wolfgang Bley
Santa Rosa
RAPID ICE EXPANSION WON'T MAKE ANYONE SAFER
Editor:
As Immigration and Customs Enforcement becomes the largest domestic law enforcement agency, there are likely to be many unintended negative consequences on top of the horrific spectacle of otherwise law-abiding community members being hauled off by masked men in unmarked cars.
The Department of Homeland Security announced a hiring surge, aiming to recruit 10,000 new ICE officers. To support this goal, they are offering $50,000 signing bonuses, $10,000 a year in student loan payoffs for up to six years, guaranteed overtime pay and accelerated retirement benefits.
These lucrative terms and likely lax hiring standards could cause our already understaffed local law enforcement cadres to jump ship, and they will certainly reduce the pool of new prospects for sheriff and police departments. Our local law enforcement agencies have suffered from low staffing and high overtime rates for years, and now they will have to compete with ICE's generous "Protect the Homeland" recruitment campaign.
A perfect storm of overpaid, under-trained, zealous ICE cowboys roaming our streets in search of anyone who looks "illegal" to them and fewer locally trained and supervised officers doing real police work. I feel safer already … Not.
Matt Stone
Petaluma
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