Mendocino County Today: Thursday, April 3, 2014

• Homeless Death
• Coach Heath Out
• Love In It Back
• Another Fort Hood Shooting
• So Much Depends
• Pabst Blue Ribbon
• Scruff Checks Out
• Baseball's a Game
• KZYX Partly Back
• Oliver's Cargo
• Identity Theft
• Respect for the River
• Where Should Craig Go?
• Oil Money in Sacto
• Police Report

A WEST VIRGINIA MAN was found dead last week in a Fort Bragg homeless encampment where he had been staying with a group passing through the area, according to the Mendocino County Sheriff-Coroner's Office. The man, identified only as a 37-year-old Caucasian man likely from West Virginia, was staying overnight near the railroad tracks that pass through the coastal city, and his companions found him not breathing when they awoke the morning of March 26, according to Sheriff’s spokesman Greg Van Patten. He was one of six people spending the night in sleeping bags under a makeshift tarp canopy at the site which was set back from the tracks by about 100 yards along a hiking trail. Van Patten said the encampment was two to two-and-a-half miles down the tracks east of the intersection of Franklin and Bush streets. The group had gone to sleep the night of March 25 and woke up around 9:30am to find their companion not breathing. They walked into town and reported his death at about 10:50am. The Lake County Sheriff's Office was covering the unincorporated areas around the city for the day while Mendocino County Sheriff's Office personnel attended the memorial service of fallen deputy Ricky Del Fiorentino, and responded to take a coroner's report. The cause of the man's death wasn't yet known Tuesday, and his identity wasn't released because authorities hadn't found any family to notify of his death. Foul play is not suspected, Van Patten said.

BILL HEATH is out as varsity basketball coach at Ukiah High School after 37 years on the job. Heath retired as a teacher three years ago and has now been shunted aside as coach on pretexts so vague they're unstated. And invisible. Maybe admin is just tired of the guy, and, of course, Mendo being Mendo, the shaft always come from behind and in the dark. Coaches are inevitably controversial, especially coaches who have been in place as long as Heath has. No replacement has been named.

THE CONTROVERSIES over coaches usually involve fan and parent opinion that they should (1) play my kid more because he's great and (2) I should be coach because I know what I'm doing and you don't.

TO ME, the few high school games I see every year, I fail to detect much coaching. Fundamentals are weak, and the games are all harem-scarum. Sixth period gym, we used to call it, with everyone free lancing, which makes for boring basketball, in my opinion, boring all the way up to the NBA where it's all freelance. Myself, I like a few basic plays, a little strategy, some thinking, teams that look for the pass first and the high percentage shot, tough defense, that kind of old fashioned thing.

BUT OUT HERE in the boons, coaches are always dealing with kids who haven't played much, The Youth of America having gone sedentary and soft, for the most part. I can't remember when I saw a kid shooting hoops on his own, or two or three kids taking a little batting practice. Or throwing a football. In Boonville you will see little kids playing soccer on their own, but even that sight is fairly rare. City kids still play, though. Drive through Oakland and the nightlights are on in a few of the parks and young people are playing basketball.

UKIAH, SOFTY WOFTY-ISM aside, has been under-performing in all the major sports for a long time (reading and writing, too), but that's probably from a combination of an absence of a large talent pool and the fact that Ukiah competes in a very tough big school league. Ukiah is great in rasslin', though, which ought to translate to football but doesn't.

WAY, WAY BACK, when Heath was still coaching jv's, Ukiah happened to meet Boonville in the Cloverdale Tournament. Boonville was loaded that season. Most high school teams are lucky if they can start two kids who can shoot, really shoot. And most high schools settle for one real good shooter, if that many. That year, Boonville could put five better-than-average shooters on the floor, and Boonville, a tiny school with about 20 kids in the senior class, beat Ukiah, a very large school, by 20. Bill Brunemeyer was the Ukiah coach who suffered that particular humiliation. When Boonville tried to schedule Ukiah for a practice game the next season, Ukiah said no, and Ukiah hasn't played a small Mendo school since.

THE ALBION-BASED Love In It “Cooperative” is open again and loving it after it was closed early in March when the Drug Task Force raided the Albion headquarters and several other homes on the Mendocino Coast and Comptche. Nine people were arrested, an assault rifle and $65,000 in cash were seized. No charges have been filed in the case that apparently began with the interception of a package of cash shipped from Colorado to Love In It, and a package of dope was intercepted going from Love In It to Colorado. Profiting from dope sales is illegal in California, har de har, and one wonders if it were put to the Love In It “cooperative” the choice between all that cash or all that love drug which Love In It would choose?

TABLOID MEDIA had this basic info hours ahead of the PD and SF Chron this afternoon: Four killed and 14 injured after a shooter attacked the Fort Hood military base in Killeen, Texas, around 4 o'clock Wednesday afternoon. The shooter, who has been named by local representative Michael McCaul as Ivan Lopez, 34, turned the gun on himself and died. It is not yet clear if the death toll includes the gunman. On November 5, 2009, Fort Hood was the location of the deadliest mass shooting ever on a US military installation. US Army Maj. Nidal Hasan, a psychiatrist who had become a radical Muslim while serving in the military, killed 13 people and injured dozens more inside the Texas Army base.

SO MUCH DEPENDS

upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white 
chickens.

— William Carlos Williams

THE FOLLOWING BIT of crucial information originated with Bob 'Oyster Bob' Sites, a Yorkville man who keeps us abreast of the latest in food and drink. This info, of course, may not be news to most of you, but it surprised us. Ready? Pabst Blue Ribbon beer has never advertised and it's produced by union labor. And we're drinking it, exclusively, from now on. PBR was also family-owned for many years until, probably, the heirs sold out to the big boys and took off for Monaco. But still, no advertising and union-brewed? Name another beer with those bona fides.

ON THE SUBJECT of food and drink, a few weeks ago I was at the Whole Foods market at Haight and Stanyan in San Francisco where I helped restrain a street guy who went off on a clerk at the checkout stand. I should probably explain my presence: Whole Foods is not too far from my wholly subsidized Frisco apartment, it's the only nearby source of bulk granola and unradiated almonds. Not to sound too much like some kind of food crank, a nun from an order of nuns who sell organic almonds at the Alemaney Farmer's Market told me that the bulk almonds you get at places like Costco are nuked before they're packaged. Hers weren't, and aren't, and I load up on them whenever I get out to Alemany. As a free association aside here, it always annoys me to see adult males dressed as nuns during The City's frantic dress-up days like Halloween and the annual Gay Parade. They do huge good, and always have, as do many other religiously affiliated people. I've never seen the joke, but I doubt we'll see gay guys bouncing around as gay priests.

SO, IT'S ONLY 9AM and I'm one cashier over from the tall, elegantly clad young black woman who's the next door clerk. A scruffy little guy strides up to her register and plunks down, with an authoritative plunk, his two purchases — a carton of deli food and a fancy bottle of water. The young woman rings him up, he grabs his stuff and takes a couple of steps towards the door. “You've got to pay,” the young woman says. “No, I don't,” Little Scruff says, adding a martyred, “Why are you doing this to me, bitch?” At which I joined a chorus of, “Whoa! Over the line, dude!” By which time the clerk was barraging Little Scruff with her own indignant counter-insults and a little guy in a security cop uniform comes hustling over and takes Scruff by the elbow. Security Man is even smaller than Scruff. Scruff shakes him off and instantly they're in a floor-grapple with Security Man, immediately reinforced by a bunch of clerks, one of them a hefty woman who I could have sworn gave Scruff a nice chop to the gut. I, Mr. Civic Involvement, wound up holding one of Scruff's feet. “You think this is funny, Gramps?” Scruff snarls at me. Well, it has some of the key elements… And soon Scruff is being group-walked out the door, and we all went back to our granola and our nuke-free almonds.

ON-LINE COMMENTS OF THE DAY:

All replay is stupid in all sports, but especially in baseball. Who cares if they get every call right? It's a g-a-m-e! Don't destroy the rhythm of a beautiful game. Play on.

* * *

What a classless organization Arizona is!!! Last year they made Giant's fans cover their logo shirts because they were sitting in the box directly behind home plate and didn't want Giant's shirts visible on TV. Last night, there was apparently about 14 Giants fans behind homeplate, and they relocated them to an area not as visible on TV. That is just wrong. You buy a ticket, you should be able to sit in those seats. Obviously, they can fill the seats, with only 17,000 there on the second night of the season. Shameful!

KZYX STILL PARTLY DOWN: Station manager Coate late this afternoon: “4:15 PM Weds: 90.7 and 88.1 are back in service. 91.5 still being worked on. The temporary replacement equipment must now get properly connected to the units that send the signal over to 91.5. This is not as simple as it might seem. Watch this space.”

WE'RE WATCHING, and thank the goddess Kisslinger is back telling us the weather in Lakeport!

ON MARCH 28, 2014 at approximately 8pm, a Deputy from the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office was parked on South Airport Road in Covelo, California when he observed a vehicle approach. The Deputy recognized the driver as Luis Oliver, 27, of Covelo, a person the Deputy knew to be on felony probation and currently out on bail from a previous felony arrest. Oliver also had an active felony arrest warrant for evading a peace officer. Oliver yelled something at the Deputy that could not be clearly heard and then stopped his vehicle in the middle of South Airport Road. The Deputy approached the vehicle on foot and noticed that Oliver appeared to be making an effort to conceal something next to his leg. The Deputy asked Oliver if he had a gun with him and Oliver admitted that he did. Oliver was handcuffed and subsequently searched. Several small baggies of methamphetamine were located in Oliver’s pants pocket with an approximate weight of .27 grams. A Ruger Mini-14 .223 caliber rifle was in the vehicle near the driver's seat. The magazine was loaded with cartridges and the rifle had modifications which made it a prohibited assault weapon under California law. Oliver was arrested for being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of an assault weapon, being armed in commission of a felony, committing offenses while released on bail, violation of probation and possession of methamphetamine. Oliver was transported to the Mendocino County Jail where he was found in possession of a baggy of non-prescribed prescription medication concealed on his person. Oliver was on PRCS (Post Release Community Supervision) in Mendocino County at the time of the incident. Oliver was to be held on a no bail status.

WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT IDENTITY THEFT?

Identity theft is a huge issue today. According to the Federal Bureau of Statistics, in 2012, 16.6 million Americans experienced identity theft in 2012 with financial losses totaling $24.7 billion.

Recently the Target fiasco over the holidays resulted in identity thieves stealing personal information from up to 70 million customers. http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/01/10/target-customers-data-breach/4404467/. If you shopped at a Target between November 27th and December 15th 2013 and paid using a credit or debit card, your information, including name, name, mailing address, phone number, email address, credit or debit card numbers, card expiration dates, and PIN data could have been stolen. With all that information, the thieves could steal your money and open accounts in your name which they will max out and not pay, thereby ruining your credit. Once your credit is severely damaged, renting, buying a home, taking out a loan for school or a vehicle, or finding employment is made much more difficult.

Gregg Steinhafel, CEO of Target, sent an email to Target customers informing them of a free credit monitoring service Target is providing to those who may have been a victim of this identity theft. Visit creditmonitoring.target.com before April 23, 2014 to register.

How Do You Protect Yourself from Identity Theft?

Chances are very good you didn’t win a British lottery, your relative who lives in an Iowa assisted living facility didn’t get robbed in Italy requiring your immediate financial help, working from home without any work is still a pipe dream, and the nice sounding Nigerian prince does not need your help. Even if you have been smart to avoid the scams you receive by email, phone, and mail, there are additional steps you can take to avoid identity theft.

The first step in fighting identity theft is prevention. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) suggests several tips including:

• Sign and activate your new credit cards immediately,

• Do NOT carry your Social Security card or PIN numbers around with you as your purse or wallet could be stolen,

• Shred any document containing your credit card or social security number before throwing it away,

• Do NOT give your personal information, including account numbers to anyone over the phone, mail, or internet until you have confirmed the person’s identity and verified why they need the identifying information,

• Add passwords or additional codes to your credit card, bank, and home accounts if they do not have them already,

• Do NOT use obvious passwords such as your birth date, mother’s maiden name, or the last four digits of your social security number, and

• Do NOT click on links in unsolicited emails and install and use firewalls, anti-spyware, and anti-virus software on your home computer. Free protection software is available at download.cnet.com.

• Do NOT leave your mail in your mailbox overnight or on weekends and deposit outgoing mail in United States Post Office collection boxes.

• Register your phone number for free on the Do Not Call Registry at 1-888-382-1222 or www.donotcall.gov to reduce the number of telemarketing calls you get at home.

• “Opt out” of credit card offers that come in the mail by calling 1-888-5-OPT-OUT or www.optoutprescreen.com.

“Opt out” of unsolicited commercial emails from Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) members at www.dmachoice.org. Registration is free and valid for six years. The DMA also has an unsolicited commercial mail opt out for five years, visit www.dmachoice.org for more information.

• Contact the FTC about additional ways to “opt out” of having your information shared by companies with others for promotional purposes at www.ftc.gov or 1-877-FTC-HELP.

How Do You Know if You Are a Victim of Identity Theft?

Another important step in fighting identity theft is discovering the crime. Sometimes the signs of identity theft are items you are receiving, such as debt collectors calling you about debts that aren’t yours, medical providers billing you for services you didn’t receive, or notices from a company about a data breach. Other times, signs you are a victim of identity theft are visible when you review your accounts, such as withdrawals from your bank account you can’t explain or new credit cards you didn’t open on your credit report. Other times, the signs are items you should be receiving, but do not receive, such as bills or an IRS tax refund or other mail.

The best way to discover identity theft is to check your credit report frequently. It is free to check your report from each of the three consumer reporting agencies once every 12 months. Carefully review your report to confirm the accounts that are open were opened by you, the amounts owed are correct, and contact the creditor agencies to correct any errors you find.

The only authorized source for your free annual credit report from all three nationwide consumer reporting agencies is www.annualcreditreport.com. Other websites will try to scam you out of your money by charging you to contact the credit agencies to get your free credit report. Remember when you are only monitoring your credit; if it costs money, it probably wasn’t the service you were looking for.

You can also contact the three consumer reporting agencies directly at:

• EXPERIAN: Toll-free at 1-888-EXPERIAN or TTY 1-800-972-0322 or www.experian.com

• EQUIFAX: Toll-free at 1-800-685-1111 or at www.equifax.com

• TRANSUNION: Toll-free at 1-800-888-4213 or at www.transunion.com

To send you a report, the credit reporting agencies will ask for your name, address, social security number, and date of birth. The agencies may also ask for your prior address or some information that only you would know, such as the amount of your monthly mortgage payment or the name of a former employer in a certain city.

Protecting Your Child From Identity Theft

If you have a child, you can help protect your child’s credit by checking with their school regarding securely keeping their records and asking about their school directory policy. It may be possible to opt out of providing certain information in any school directories or preventing information from being shared with third parties. When your child nears 16, review your child’s credit report with your child. If there are any errors, you will have time to fix them before your child tries to get a loan for tuition or a car or applies for a job or an apartment.

What Do You Do If You Discover You Are a Victim of Identity Theft?

If you suspect you or your child are a victim of identity theft, there are steps you can take to prevent further damage to you or your child’s credit:

• First contact the fraud department at the three national credit agencies to tell them you are an identity theft victim and request a “fraud alert” be put on your file, so creditors have to contact you before opening a new account or changing existing accounts. It is like a red flag on your file that requires additional steps to provide credit.

• Consider a “credit freeze”. This is more drastic than the fraud alert. A security freeze prevents anyone from opening new credit accounts in your name unless you give permission. There is no charge to you if you are a victim of identity theft and made a police report. It works by the credit agencies refusing to provide a credit report if you apply for a loan or credit. It may take a few days to lift the freeze. Therefore, a downside of this option is that legitimate applications, such as a credit check by a potential landlord or a utility company, may be delayed.

• Contact your creditors directly to ask about accounts that have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. These creditors could be your bank, credit card companies, phone company, electrical or gas or other utility companies, and others. Inform them of the identity theft and ask them what their procedures are to protect identity theft victims.

• Immediately close any accounts that have been tampered with and open new ones, use new PIN numbers for your new accounts.

• Make a police report so law enforcement can try to find the thief. Contact your local police or the police in the location where the theft occurred.

• File a complaint with the FTC at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov or toll free at 1-877-IDTHEFT.

• If your driver’s license or state identification card was stolen, contact the DMV immediately to report the theft. The DMV Fraud Hotline is 1-866-658-5758. If the thief is using your license as an ID, you may want to change your license number. You will need to make an appointment at the DMV. Then you must prove your identity with a passport, military or tribal identification, and take a copy of the police report showing the fraud to change your license number.

• If someone is using your Social Security number to claim unemployment benefits or to work, call the California Employment Development Department’s Fraud Hotline at 1-800-229-6297. It is a good idea to review your Social Security earnings record to see if there is income you did not earn listed.

• If your mail was stolen or your address was changed by an identity thief, inform the Postal Inspector at https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/. There are online forms for mail fraud and identity theft via mail to start a federal criminal investigation.

• If you suspect you are the victim of medical identity theft, request copies of your medical records and accompanying financial records and contact your health care provider regarding any errors.

• If you are wrongly accused of a crime committed by an identity theft, contact the California Department of Justice at 1-888-880-0240 for help getting on the California Identity Theft Registry for victims of “criminal identity theft”. This generally occurs when a person suspected in a criminal investigation identifies himself or herself using the identity of a different, innocent person. For more information, visit http://oag.ca.gov/idtheft/criminal.

As demonstrated by the many steps to take when your identity is stolen, once your identity is stolen it can take a lot of work to repair the damage. Because of this, prevention is such an important part of protecting your identity.

Additional Resources for Seniors

If you are 60 years old or older and a resident of Mendocino or Lake Counties and have a legal problem related to identity theft, consumer issues, planning for incapacity, or your housing or public benefits, please call the Senior Law Project at Legal Services of Northern California at 707-462-1471 or toll free at 1-877-529-7700.

The information in this article does not constitute legal advice, and the author and LSNC are not acting as your attorney. Do not rely on this information without consulting an attorney or the appropriate agency about your rights in a particular situation. The author and LSNC shall not be held responsible for any use to which the information in this column is put.

Cara Henley Johnson, Staff Attorney

Legal Services of Northern California

421 N Oak St, Ukiah, CA 95482, 707-462-1471

HOW ’BOUT IT, MATEEL?

Reggae on the River

Maybe the local newspapers and community radio news departments could ask the Mateel why they never made the attachments available to the public concerning "Reggae on the River" 2013? It took a public record act request to obtain these documents along with others from California Department of Fish & Wildlife concerning violations, e.g. "Reggae on the River". And again, who's best interest and benefit does "Reggae on the River" represent, the River? It would seem the River is the last thing the Mateel wants to help and defend or spend money to protect. They would rather think about the satisfaction and comfort of their paid festival entertainers/paid guests, campers and festival attendees first, than think about the harm and degrading effects "Reggae on the River" is creating "On the River". For an area that thinks its helping to protect the natural environment from degrading effects of human activities, I look at this as a prime example; do as I say, not as I do! I am writing all of you, because maybe the Mateel Board will answer your questions, because they never reply to me.

Thank you, Ed Voice, Redway

* * *

July 16, 2013
To Mr. Justin Crellin, Mateel Community Center
P.O. Box 1910, Redway, CA 95560
Subject: Amendment of Streambed Alteration Agreement
Notification No. 1600-2012-0327-R1
Reggae on the River Temporary Seasonal Bridge Project – South Fork Eel River

Dear Mr. Crellin:

The Department of Fish and Wildlife (Department) received on July 9, 2013, your request to amend Streambed Alteration Agreement 1600-2012-0327-R1 (Agreement), and the required fee in the amount of $168 for a minor amendment. Your request to amend the Agreement includes the need to:

Extend the work activities to include heavy equipment light grading and compacting to smooth several gravel bar parking locations in the project area, Areas 1 through 3 (see Site Plan Figure 1, which has been revised with the areas in the amendment).

Subsequent to your amendment notification, the Department was notified by member of the public on July 10, 2013, that this work had been started without an approved amendment to the Agreement. This constitutes a violation of Fish and Game Code (FGC) Section 1602, which requires a person to notify the Department when work described in the Agreement has substantially changed. The Department hereby agrees to amend the agreement with addition of the following conditions, and statement of violation of FGC Section 1602 by Permitee:

Gravel Bar Grading. Areas 1 through 3 will be lightly graded and compacted with heavy equipment to facilitate a smoother surface to protect vehicle undercarriages and reduce the potential for vehicular damage and fluid spillage (see Site Plan, Figure 1). The grading activity shall be conducted as follows:

• Grading shall be at least 100-feet from the active stream channel;
• No native gravels shall be exported from any of the areas;
• No pot holes or depressions shall be created that might allow for the ponding of water or isolation of aquatic species from the main channel during high flows;
• No removal of woody riparian vegetation;
• No natural drainage features shall be covered, restricted, rerouted, or otherwise impacted by the activities; and
• Subsequent to the post-event monitoring by the Department and approval by the Department, the graded and compacted areas shall be de-compacted prior to October 15 of each year.

RV Parking Area Trench Fill. The floodplain trench recently excavated on the southwest side of the emergency access road along the RV Parking Lot (see Area 4 in attached Figure 1) shall be re-filled with the original excavated gravel material and left smooth with no pot holes or depressions. In subsequent years no trenches, potholes or depressions shall be excavated within the 100-year floodplain.

Adherence to Agreement. All other conditions in the Agreement shall remain in effect.

FGC Section 1602 Violation. The Permittee performed grading and compacting work outside the permitted activities in the original Agreement and without an approved amendment to the Agreement. These activities conducted are a violation of FGC Section 1602, which requires notifying the Department when work described in the Agreement has substantially changed.

Please sign and date both copies of this letter, and return one copy of this letter with an original signature to the above address to acknowledge the amendment and violation. Copies of the Agreement and all amendments must be readily available at project worksites and must be presented when requested by a Department representative or agency with inspection authority.

If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact Clare Golec, Environmental Scientist, at (707) 441-2064 or clare.golec@wildlife.ca.gov

Sincerely,

Tony LaBanca, Senior Environmental Scientist
CA Department of Fish & Wildlife, Region 1, Eureka

* * *

Reggae on the River

CDFW Field Observations, August 5, 2013
Streambed Alteration Agreement 1600-2012-0327-R1
In Attendance:
Michael van Hattem – Calif. Dept. of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW)
Clare Golec – CDFW
Dean Prat – North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board
Justin Crellin – Mateel Community Center
Steve Salzman - Consultant

Vehicle fluid leaks in parking areas were observed to be small and infrequent in 2013. Vehicle use was observed within the 100-foot buffer of wetted channel during camp breakdown and several low clearance/all-wheel drive vehicles in the 4-wheel parking area got stuck in the gravels. Within the 25-foot no-camping buffer from the wetted channel barbequing and tents were observed, and cooking oil spillage was also noted in gravels in other areas. Recommendations:

• Improve vehicle 100-foot buffer with barriers or fencing such as gravel berms or symbolic fencing (eyelet posts to string rope through, similar to fencing used for snowy plover protection along beaches).
•  Improve implementation of the 25-foot buffer with patrol and outreach to prevent cooking oils/debris spillage and tent setup/use impacts along the wetted channel edge.
• No All-wheel drive vehicles allowed in the 4-wheel drive area to prevent miring in the gravels and potential oil pan damage, vehicle clearance is needed.

Continue vehicle leak checks pursuant to Environmental Impact Report mitigation measures and Streambed Alteration Agreement Measure 2.3 below.

Equipment Cleaning. All machinery or heavy equipment that will be entering the stream’s bed, channel, or bank shall be cleaned of materials deleterious to aquatic life including oil, lubricants, coolants, hydraulic fluid, soil, and other debris. Cleaning of machinery or heavy equipment shall take place outside of the stream’s bed, channel, or bank.

Gas generator use and gas cans were observed in south parking lot with refueling being conducted without appropriate oversight or containment. Need to remedy through avoiding gas generator use and refueling on the river bar. Also is not in compliance with Streambed Alteration Agreement Measure 2.4 below.

Equipment Maintenance. Refueling of machinery or heavy equipment, or adding or draining oil, lubricants, coolants or hydraulic fluids shall not take place within stream bed, channel and bank. All such fluids and containers shall be disposed of properly off-site. Heavy equipment used or stored within stream bed, channel and bank shall use drip pans or other devices (i.e., absorbent blankets, sheet barriers or other materials) as needed to prevent soil and water contamination.

Bridge does not span the wetted channel, and the base abutment materials in the wetted channel on east side and approach fills over the wetted and ordinary high water channel were not clean materials. The river bank material and upper river bar material used for bridge abutments had high percentage of fine sediments.

Need to use clean base material in the wetted channel and contain/not perch unclean materials over the wetted and ordinary high water channel so upon removal of bridge abutment materials there isn’t remnant and unclean fill left in the annual active channel. Also not in compliance with Streambed Alteration Agreement Measure 2.9.5 below.

Bridge Abutments Construction. Bridge abutments shall be constructed from washed/clean cobbles, logs, large concrete block or other appropriate materials that can be placed and removed with minimal adverse effects. Native river-run gravel can be used for bridge approaches and abutments if the bridge will span the wetted channel. No crushed rock shall be used for bridge approaches and abutments. All imported abutment materials shall be removed from the site upon bridge removal.

Trash was observed to be prevalent on gravel bars, but cleanup was in process. However due to the amount of uncontained trash observed on the gravel bars, CDFW recommends that trash cleanup include an in-stream component to remove trash deposited in the wetted channel through people or wind.

There was discussion during the field visit that event areas such as the stage area may be seeded, watered, and mowed for the next event. CDFW recommends seeding use regional native seed or non-native seed that is known not to persist or spread (non-invasive) and no fertilizers are utilized. Native plants/seeds do not require fertilizers, and invasive plants can proliferate with the use of fertilizers. Seeding could also utilize low growing grasses and herbs to save on the need to mow, a native seed company can recommend an appropriate seeding mix for the site and region.

The southern parking area graded and filled a secondary channel up against the eastern bank. Prior to conducting any grading for parking areas and access roads each year the gravel bar/floodplain needs to be inspected for secondary channels and other drainage features to avoid the grading and filling of these features.

CDFW recommends and supports a stewardship component to the event such as invasive plant control over the course of the events and years. The grading and other disturbance of herbaceous vegetation and soils associated with the event make this area more susceptible to the establishment of invasion plants. In addition vehicular traffic is a common vector for invasive plants and many vehicles come from outside the area, which could introduce invasive species.

WRITING DOWN THE BONES

Warmest spiritual greetings, Following 40 years of frontline radical environmental/peace & justice activism, organizing, and writing down the bones and seeing it all get published, I am now only interested in continuing to remain socio-politically active! Due to cultivating a spiritual life, first within the Catholic framework, and then later within the frameworks of the Sanatana Dharma (Integral Yoga/Vedanta/Gaudiya Vaishnavism) as well as taking up the discipline of zazen meditation practice, indeed, I am now identified with the Immortal Self, and not the perishable body-mind complex. Therefore, you understand me when I say to you that my choice to continue being socio-politically active in society is an intelligent, honorable choice. I just concluded three months of in-house assistance to the benefit of Jamie "Bork Loughner, (an iconic housing rights organizer if there ever was one), presently living in New Orleans, Louisiana. Due to a high level of stress and the dysfunctional Louisiana social services system, it is time for me to move on, happy, but burned out from fighting the institutional idiocy in Louisiana. Bork and I continue to remain the closest of friends, in the midst of it all, and I have been fortunate to be able to assist her (in response to her considerable medical problems, incurred due to fighting with the police to preserve public housing). Right now, I would prefer to go to Washington D.C. for the seventh time. Since my first successful visit there volunteering with Catholic Worker in June of 1991, and then later being in the streets for the A-16 World Bank/IMF protests in 2000, and more recently being with Occupy D.C. at McPherson Square and as part of the kitchen working group at Freedom Plaza, I have participated fully and faithfully against the insanity of materialism, and all of its cultural hallucinations, in America's national capital. I need solidarity from you to be back in Washington D.C. on a longer term basis...indoors preferably, or outdoors safely. I have sufficient money and food stamps to "maintain the mammal", but no more than that. I am also willing to consider going elsewhere than D.C., if "following spirit" dictates this. No problem, but it is time for me to move on from New Orleans, and therefore you are receiving this email message. I ask you to respond to this promptly at CraigStehr@pamho.net. Yours for Self-realization, Craig Louis Stehr

Telephone messages: (504) 302-9951
Email: CraigStehr@pamho.net
Snail mail: 333 Socrates Street, New Orleans, LA 70114
Blog: http://craiglstehr.blogspot.com/

OIL LOBBY SPENT $56.63 MILLION IN SACRAMENTO OVER PAST FIVE YEARS

by Dan Bacher

A new chart released by Stop Fooling California reveals that the oil industry, including the Western States Petroleum Association, Chevron, BP and other oil companies, spent $56.63 million on lobbying at the State Capitol in the five years from 2009 through 2013.

"It’s enough to spend $471,000 on each California Senator and Assemblymember," according to http://www.stopfoolingca.org, an online and social media public education and awareness campaign that highlights oil companies’ efforts to mislead and confuse Californians. "It’s enough to buy a gallon of $4 gas for every household in California. It’s a lot of lobster dinners."

The Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA), headed by President Catherine Reheis-Boyd, the former Chair of the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative Blue Ribbon Task Force to create so-called "marine protected areas" in Southern California, is the most powerful corporate lobbying organization in Sacramento.

The organization is so powerful that its President was able to oversee the implementation of "marine protected areas" that fail to protect the ocean from fracking, oil drilling, pollution, military testing, corporate aquaculture and all human impacts other than sustainable fishing and gathering.

The organization spent over $4.67 million, more than any other interest group, while lobbying state government in 2013, according to data released by the Secretary State's Office and compiled by the Capitol Morning Report.

Reheis-Boyd led the successful campaign last year by the oil industry to defeat all one bill to ban or regulate the environmentally destructive practice of fracking. The oil industry added last minute amendments to Senator Fran Pavley's already weak legislation to regulate fracking in California, Senate Bill 4, last September, making an already terrible bill even worse. Governor Jerry Brown signed the legislation, dubbed by environmentalists the "green light for fracking" bill, on September 20.

The San Ramon-based Chevron Corporation, a company known for environmental destruction across the globe, and its subsidiaries spent $3.95 million, the third most spent by any group on lobbying state government in 2013.

A report released last year by the American Lung Association revealed that the oil industry lobby spent $45.4 million in the state in just the period between January 1, 2009 and June 30, 2013. The Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) had spent over $20 million in that period to lobby legislators. (http://blog.center4tobaccopolicy.org/oil-lobbying-in-california) Oil and gas companies spend more than $100 million a year to buy access to lawmakers in Washington and Sacramento.

For the oil industry, all of this money is mere pocket change. Big Oil's estimated profits in 2014 to date are $22,897,723,000, based on information from the Center for American Progress.

The 2013 profit totals for the big five oil companies combined —BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil, and Shell - were $93 billion, or $177,000 per minute. (http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/news/2014/02/10/83879/with-only-93-billion-in-profits-the-big-five-oil-companies-demand-to-keep-tax-breaks/)

"Chevron and oil lobbyists like the Western States Petroleum Association use their influence to roll back California’s popular clean air and energy laws. All to protect their profits and monopoly," Stop Fooling California said.

The group urged people to tell Chevron and WSPA that "enough is enough! And $56 million is too much to change the laws that Californians want."

The release of the chart takes place as the arrests of three State Senators on criminal charges in recent months have put the spotlight on corruption and influence peddling at the State Capitol. The State Senate voted on Friday to suspend Senators Leland Yee, Ron Calderon and Rod Wright, who are being prosecuted in separate criminal cases, after Yee refused to resign. Yee was arrested on federal charges of accepting bribes and coordinating an international gun-running operation, revealed in an affidavit that read like a bizarre crime novel. (http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2014/03/28/california-senate-votes-to-suspend-leland-yee/)

While the mainstream media has focused on the latest political scandal at the Capitol, they have failed to adequately cover the much greater and more destructive scandal of the oil industry's enormous influence over the Legislature and the Governor's Office.

They also refuse to report on one of the biggest political scandals in California history - the chairing of a state panel, supposedly designed to create "marine protected areas" in Southern California, by the President of the Western States Petroleum Association. Nor have they covered her "service" on the state "marine protected area" panels for the Central Coast, North Central Coast and North Coast or on a federal marine protected areas panel. (http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/03/28/big-oil-lobbyist-serves-on-federal-marine-protected-areas-panel/)

As the oil industry plans the expansion of fracking under Senate Bill 4, Governor Jerry Brown is fast tracking the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) to build the peripheral tunnels.The proposed tunnels would divert Sacramento River water for use by corporate agribusiness interests, Southern California water agencies and oil companies expanding fracking and steam injection operations. The construction of the twin tunnels would hasten the extinction of Central Valley salmon, Delta and longfin smelt, green sturgeon and other fish species, as well as imperil salmon and steelhead populations on the Trinity and Klamath rivers.

Restore the Delta and Food and Water Watch revealed on March 4 that much of the area that the oil industry could frack for oil and natural gas in California is located in and near toxic, drainage-impaired land farmed by corporate agribusiness interests on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley. (http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/03/05/18751984.php)

To sign a petition urging Governor Jerry Brown to ban fracking in California, go to the Food and Water Watch action alert:https://secure3.convio.net/fww/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=193

POLICE CALLS AS OF THURSDAY MORNING

DUI -- Eugene I. Jacomella, 66, of Willits, was arrested at 12:30 a.m. Saturday on suspicion of driving under the influence and driving with a blood-alcohol level greater than the legal limit, and booked at the county jail. The Willits Police Department arrested him.

ROBBERY -- Lacey L. Mononi, 28, of Ukiah, was arrested at 7:45 a.m. Saturday on suspicion of robbery, removing, destroying or damaging wireless equipment to prevent calling for help and battery, and booked at the county jail under $150,000 bail. The MCSO arrested her.

MARIJUANA SALES -- Noah S. Ericksen, 27, of Eureka, was arrested at 10:02 a.m. Sunday on suspicion of possessing marijuana for sale and cultivating marijuana, and booked at the county jail. The MCSO arrested him.

DUI -- Daniel Perez, 28, of Calpella, was arrested at 12:04 p.m. Sunday on suspicion of driving under the influence, driving with a blood-alcohol level greater than the legal limit, resisting arrest and violating his probation terms, and booked at the county jail. The California Highway Patrol arrested him.

DUI -- Jesse F. Wolf, 28, of Willits, was arrested at 2:14 p.m. Sunday on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs and possessing marijuana for sale, and booked at the county jail. The CHP arrested him.

MARIJUANA TRANSPORT -- Kevin L. Jordan, 36, of Sunnyvale, was arrested at 11:40 p.m. Sunday on suspicion of transporting marijuana for sale and booked at the county jail under $30,000 bail. The CHP arrested him.

DUI -- Grace J. Turner, 48, of Ukiah, was arrested at 12:27 p.m. Monday on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs and being under the influence of a controlled substance, and booked at the county jail. The CHP arrested her.

ASSAULT -- James R. Avants, 58, of Fort Bragg, was arrested at 12:57 p.m. Monday on suspicion of assault and violating his probation terms, and booked at the county jail. The Fort Bragg Police Department arrested him.

MARIJUANA SALES -- Joseph Blanco, 40, of Miami, was arrested at 11:45 a.m. Tuesday on suspicion of possessing marijuana for sale and conspiracy, and booked at the county jail under $25,000 bail. The MCSO arrested him.

MARIJUANA SALES -- Ross J. Killian, 33, of Ukiah, was arrested at 3 p.m. Tuesday on suspicion of possessing marijuana for sale and conspiracy, and booked at the county jail under $25,000 bail. The MCSO arrested him.

MARIJUANA SALES -- Raphael S. Knapp, 26, of San Francisco, was arrested at 4:03 p.m. Tuesday on suspicion of possessing marijuana for sale and conspiracy, and booked at the county jail under $25,000 bail. The MCSO arrested him.

METH SALES -- Justin E. King, 30, of Ukiah, was arrested at 4:04 p.m. Tuesday on suspicion of possessing methamphetamine for sale and possessing drug paraphernalia, and booked at the county jail under $25,000 bail. The Ukiah Police Department arrested him.

GRAND THEFT -- Jack S. Owsley, 51, of Willits, was arrested at 11 a.m. Tuesday on suspicion of grand theft and booked at the county jail. The MCSO arrested him.

MARIJUANA SALES -- Eunice Hale, 29, of Ukiah, was arrested at 10:01 a.m. Wednesday on suspicion of possessing marijuana for sale, child endangerment and resisting arrest, and booked at the county jail under $25,000 bail. The UPD arrested her.

DUI -- Georgie B. Georgiev, 27, of San Rafael, was arrested at 12:52 p.m. Wednesday on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs and violating his probation, and booked at the county jail. The CHP arrested him.

MARIJUANA TRANSPORT -- Sean M. Molina, 44, of Stockton, was arrested at 3:27 p.m. Wednesday on suspicion of transporting marijuana for sale, and booked at the county jail under $15,000 bail. The MCSO arrested him.