Mendocino County Today: Thursday, October 2, 2014

• Grapes' Legal Whiff
• Crawford's Slam
• Allman's Losak Complaint
• Expensive County Process
• Police Reports
• Lost Phone
• Local Food News
• Will Parrish Appreciation
• Brown Bills
• Yes on S
• Catch of the Day
• Walton Money

THE GRAPE INDUSTRY'S effort to take water without regard to instream flows, or strictly on a voluntary basis with no regulatory controls, has been rejected:
http://appellatecases.courtinfo.ca.gov/search/case/mainCaseScreen.cfm?dist=0&doc_id=2083646&doc_no=S220256

THE WORLD may be going to hell, but didn't all you Giants fans just know in your bones that Crawford was going to at least drive in the first run last night? Then he drills a grand slam? I could hear ecstatic screams from all over the neighborhood. The AVA's fave ballplayer is always tough in the clutch, and he came through again last night. Defensive play of the game? Not to take the amazing Bum for granted, but Pablo's running throw on the drag bunt was a thing of beauty.

WE FINALLY obtained a copy of the video of the Board of Supervisors meeting on September 23 when Sheriff Allman took a few minutes during public expression to object to any promotion of Acting County Counsel Doug Losak to Interim County Counsel which included a pay raise. Here’s the full text of Allman’s complaint:

SHERIFF ALLMAN: “This is not a personal discussion with you. This is a business discussion. In yesterday's report out of closed session apparently this Board is prepared to offer Interim County Counsel an extension to his contract. I don't know if there is a pay raise or not but I find this offensive. I find this offensive in the fact that as we all know County Counsel has had criminal misconduct and if he gets one pay raise, even one dollar, what it means is our deputy sheriffs who caught him with a concealed firearm and with marijuana are still under a 10% pay cut and you are rewarding County Counsel for bad behavior. It's offensive. He cannot work for the Sheriff's office. I will not allow him to do any business with the Sheriff's office because while he and I disagree that there is a conflict of interest, I will say that there is a conflict of interest because the Mendocino County Sheriff's office initiated a procedure to get him through the criminal justice system. As far as I know he is the only County Counsel in the state of California that is on searchable probation. Now think about that. If you are extending his contract with a pay raise there is a little bit of misspending at this point. I have given County Counsel a copy of his criminal report. I handed it to him this morning. If you have questions about it I encourage you to ask him for it. Whether he wants to display it to you or show it to you that’s up to him. But he certainly has a copy from me. I encourage this Board, if you want to keep him County Counsel to keep him for 12 months as interim, but do not offer him a pay raise. It is a slap in the face of every hard-working and honest county employee who has stuck by our 10% reduction. I was the very first elected official to take a voluntary pay reduction. And County Counsel, certainly when he was chief deputy, he did not take a pay cut as County Counsel. So this is not a personal attack against your County Counsel. This is reminding you that you were elected to represent the people and if you continue down this road the employees will not forget about it. The morale which will be damaged is unspeakable. So I encourage you to rethink this decision if there is a pay raise involved in keeping this County Counsel.”

ALSO at that September 23 meeting was Consent Calendar Item 4(j) which Supervisor John McCowen pulled for discussion.

Item 4(j): “Summary of Request: On February 25, 2014, the Board of Supervisors approved the establishment of an Exclusive Operating Area (EOA) for the Mendocino County Inland Zone via a Request for Proposal (RFP). On March 21, 2014, the General Services Agency (GSA) released RFP #25-14 seeking proposals to complete the implementation of an EOA. A committee consisting of staff from HHSA, CEO, Coastal Valleys Emergency Medical Services (CVEMS) and GSA reviewed all proposals and recommended awarding the contract to The Abaris Group [a “healthcare consulting” outfit based in Martinez]. We are now seeking approval of the subsequent contract. The Abaris Group has proposed a three step process to include: 1) evaluating the [Mendocino County] ambulance and EMS system based on needs of the system, patients and providers, determine surrounding issues, special needs and performance standards; 2) review history and local processes regarding the EMS system to date, identify key components for an RFP, prepare a draft RFP and revise as necessary, provide final copy and conduct a competitive RFP process; and 3) conduct review and selection process for proposals received, develop and execute a contract with the selected ambulance service provider.”

Get that? The Health and Human Services Agency wants to spend over $91k (!) of supposedly limited General Fund money for a months-long RFP preparation process. According to the Agenda Summary the process includes “evaluating the [Mendocino County] ambulance and EMS system based on needs of the system, patients and providers, determine surrounding issues, special needs and performance standards.”

Hmmm. In 2011 the County paid an outfit called Fitch and Associates to do pretty much the same thing (for an amount we’re unable to pin down at the moment). But here’s County staff proposing to do yet another “evaluation” and “review history and local processes regarding the EMS system to date.”

We’ll concede that if the County is going to take bids for an “exclusive operating agreement” for ambulance services someone needs to “identify key components” for an RFP and prepare a draft RFP for ambulance service providers to bid.” Someone also needs to conduct the review and selection and develop and execute a contract. None of this is rocket science.

In fact, the County’s General Services office already does that on a wide variety of good-sized projects. Maybe a consultant should be employed to review the final RFP for a few hours, but after all the work already done, all the meetings held around the County with all the “stakeholders,” all the ambulance services in the mix, you’d think that an RFP could be prepared for substantially less than $91,000.

Supervisor McCowen seemed to be suffering from sticker shock himself: “This item on the consent calendar is a continuation of the process to establish an emergency management system exclusive operating area. When we voted previously to move forward this item I don't really recall any hint that we were contemplating a $91,000 contract with some out of the area group to tell us how we would set up an exclusive operating area system. I thought our Coastal Valley EMS was qualified to do that in cooperation with the local stakeholders. So I do not feel I can support this expenditure of general fund money.”

Health and Human Services Director Stacey Cryer: “As part of the plan to move forward with the exclusive operating area we had said that what we needed to do was hire somebody to work with us to draft the RFP that we would go out for that exclusive operating area. That's what this is for. We did a competitive bid process. This is the winning award of that competitive bid process to help us draft the RFP. The RFP for an exclusive operating area is incredibly complex and technical and we needed an expert to help us draft that. We had stated that in our previous discussion that we would be hiring somebody to do that.”

McCowen: “Didn't our previous action involve approval of a certain amount of funding for Coastal Valley in connection with moving this process forward?”

Cryer: “We have a contract with Coastal Valley to provide our local EMS services so you have approved contracts for Coastal Valley. As part of the service they would help us through this process but Coastal Valley was not going to draft the RFP. We had stated we would hire a consultant to do that because it is so incredibly technical. Also it's good to have an independent party working on that. The contract with Coastal Valley was not to draft the RFP for the exclusive operating area but they of course will help us through the management of that process.”

McCowen: “Was there any — you seem to be saying there was no funding specifically allocated to Coastal Valley for the EOA process.”

Cryer: “That's correct.”

McCowen: “I'm not going to support this item. I'm ready for someone else to make a motion if no one else has questions.”

Board Chair John Pinches: “It was the full support of the board to move forward with this EOA process and it was assumed early on that we were going to have to hire somebody to come up with basically to get all the technical stuff lined out and that's what this is doing. This EOA process is moving down the road which I'm very happy about. So it's just the cost of getting it set up.”

McCowen: “It wasn't the full support of the board, but I've been outvoted before and I'm prepared to be outvoted again.”

Supervisor Dan Gjerde: “The way this is evolving, this is the second time we are being asked to vote for funds and none of it is going to the Fourth District or toward the Coast so I will vote No also.”

Supervisor Carre Brown: “I feel we did give approval to go forward and I think it's very important. I believe the Coast has a fragile EMS as well. We were approached by the Fire Chiefs Association. Laytonville has said they are struggling. We have to figure something out. To go forward I believe we were fully in support, maybe Supervisor Gjerde voted no on this particular item. Did you vote no?”

Gjerde: “I voted no on the expenditure because although fire departments in my district are also struggling they are receiving no funds and no support through this process.”

Pinches: “Leggett and the Westport area are also in your district and they will benefit from this process.”

Gjerde: “They will not benefit from this.”

Brown: “I'd like to move this forward because I think it's badly needed.”

Brown them moved to approve the $91k expenditure. Supervisor Dan Hamburg, silent during the entire discussion, seconded.

The vote was three to two, McCowen and Gjerde opposed.

No one bothered to point out that most of the work had already been done by Fitch and Associates. No one asked why County staff can’t do most of the work. Even if the RFP prep is “incredibly complex and technical” (which it certainly is not or it would have been mentioned in the agenda summary) Cryer and her bloated administrative crew (along with the County’s General Services office which was mysteriously missing from the discussion as well) grossly overscoped the RFP prep (because the lowest bid was $91k) on the assumption that the County has unlimited funds to draw over $91k from to have an expensive consultant do what County staff is already paid to do, while the County continues to insist that its revenues are flat and no new expenditures can be afforded.

IN OTHER WORDS: Business as usual in the Mendo Board Chambers.

ON SUNDAY, September 28, 2014 at approximately 6:55am, Mendocino County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to a domestic related assault that occurred in the 19000 block of Babcock Lane in Fort Bragg. Deputies contacted the female victim at another location and learned that she was involved in a dating relationship with suspect Randy Gibney, 45, of Fort Bragg. Deputies observed that the victim had a minor visible injury to her neck and facial area. Deputies were told the injuries were the result of Gibney physically assaulting her during a verbal argument that occurred in the early morning hours of 09-28-2014. After speaking with the victim, Deputies responded to a residence in the 19000 block of Babcock Lane and contacted Gibney. Gibney was arrested without incident for Corporal Injury to Spouse/Cohabitant as well as two outstanding misdemeanor arrest warrants for violation of probation and failure to appear in court. Gibney was transported and booked into the Mendocino County Jail to be held in lieu of $25,000.00 bail.

* * *

BEGINNING in early September, 2014, the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office has received reports of thefts of items from unlocked vehicles, thefts of gasoline from vehicles, and burglaries of residential outbuildings in the residential area of the Mendocino village. To date, in excess of 10 reports of thefts have been made. Mendocino County Sheriff's Deputies have been actively investigating these thefts and also increased patrol in the area.

On September 29 at approximately 1am Deputies observed a vehicle in the residential area of Mendocino displaying false vehicle registration tabs. The unoccupied vehicle was parked in such a manner that it appeared that the driver was attempting to conceal it from view. Approximately 30 minutes later Deputies observed the vehicle driving and an enforcement stop of the vehicle was conducted. Deputies contacted the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle, Bret Counterman, 21, of Mendocino. While speaking with Counterman, Deputies observed a fuel can and what appeared to be a siphon hose in the vehicle. Further investigation developed information identifying Counterman as the perpetrator of many of the recent thefts in the area. Property stolen in ten of the reported thefts was recovered from Counterman, as well as property from unreported thefts. Efforts are underway by to identify the rightful owners of the additional property. Counterman was lodged at the Mendocino County Jail for 2 counts of Burglary/Felony, 7 counts of Petty Theft/Misdemeanor with bail set at $15,000 as well as an outstanding arrest warrant for Failure to Appear, with a $2,500 bail. Persons who have been the recent victim of a theft in Mendocino are encouraged to contact the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office at 961-2421 and report the incident.

SUPERVISOR HAMBURG'S BIG FIND

Supervisor Dan Hamburg (Coast Listserve, Oct 1, 9am): “Last week, I drove around Ukiah for nearly half an hour looking for my phone, only to find it on the roof of my car! Hooray for the Otter Box! WOW! All the turns on Albion Little River Road and Highway 1 and it didn't fall off until 128. How strange is that?”

C’MON HOME TO EAT

October Local Food News — It’s our 10th Anniversary

A foodshed is like a watershed. A watershed is where we get our water. A foodshed is where we get our food. The Anderson Valley foodshed is where those of us in AV can get our most local food. Here are some suggestions for maximizing your local food experience.

* * *

AV Foodshed is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. In the fall of 2004, with the vision of promoting local food and supporting local farmers in producing that food, a group of folks gathered to begin what became the AV Foodshed Group. In October, 2005 the first C’mon Home to Eat challenge was initiated. Locals were encouraged to sign a local food pledge that they would eat, as much as possible, food that was grown or produced within 100 miles of home.

C’mon Home to Eat in October has been an annual event since that time, with local food events and suggestions for how to meet the local food challenge. The calendar for this month is attached. There was an article last week in the AVA and there will be another this week. You should be able to access these articles at http://www.mendocinolocalfood.org within a day or two. We’ve had a communication glitch with the documents.

* * *

The Boonville Farmers’ Market continues to offer local seasonal produce, olive oil, preserves, meat, bike repair, gardening advice, music and more. The Apple Pressing booth has been busy. Join the fun on Saturday mornings, 10-12:30, at the Boonville Hotel.

If you are would like to help out with the AV Foodshed Apple Pressing booth at the market or have questions about pressing your own apples into juice, please reply by email or call Cindy at 895-2949.

The Boonville Winter Market begins Saturday November 1 in front of the Boonville General Store.

* * *

Here are some of our other local food sources. Please let us know if there are any others that are missing.

AV Community Farm, on Lambert Lane (Lambert Ranch Road) in Boonville, sells at the Boonville Farmers’ Market and has CSA’s (Community Supported Agriculture memberships) available

Blue Meadow Farm has a stand at the corner of Hwy 128 and Holmes Ranch Road.

Brock Farms sells at the Boonville Farmers’ Market and has a stand at the corner of Hwy128 and Peachland Rd - follow the signs.

Emerald Earth offers pastured poultry eggs, $6/dozen, in the fridge in the hallway of the Ferrer building, behind Farmhouse Mercantile.

Filigreen Farm, on Anderson Valley Way, has a new farm stand.

Gowan’s Oak Tree, on Hwy 128 north of Philo, is a farm stand. (the oldest still in existence?)

McEwen Family Farm sells at the Boonville Farmers’ Market.

Petit Teton Farm, on Hwy 128 between Boonville and Yorkville, has a variety of produce and eggs available at it’s farm stand. (See info below.)

Philo Apple Farm, on Greenwood Road by the bridge, has a farm stand.

Philo Hill Farm is on Hwy 128 in Philo, at the new Lula Cellars Home Vineyard, and sells at the Boonville Farmers’ Market.

Yorkville Olive Ranch sells at the Boonville Farmers’ Market.

The AV Senior/Community Center has a vegetable garden that is providing some of the produce for the delicious meals there. All community members are encouraged to take advantage of this local food opportunity. For meal schedule and more information go to avseniorcenter.blogspot.com or call Gina at 895-3609.

Eateries in Anderson Valley that support our farmers by using locally grown produce are Aquarelle Cafe, Boont Berry Farm, Boonville General Store, Boonville Hotel, Coq au Vin, Lauren’s Café, Mosswood Market, Paysanne and Stone & Embers. (Lauren’s identifies local ingredients in many of the offerings on it’s menu.)

* * *

For more information about local food sources, please go to http://www.mendocinolocalfood.org

Also, if you have a local food product to sell or trade, let us know. If you are interested in being a vendor in any of the Mendocino County Farmers’ Markets, visit www.mcfarm.org

We would like to have you share how you eat locally - what you grow and what you do with it, where you purchase locally produced products, etc. If you feel inspired to, please reply and we will include it in our next update.

* * *

The AV Foodshed Steering Committee meets the first week of each month, at varying days and times. All are welcome to join in with ideas, either by coming to a meeting, emailing this address or calling either Jim at 496-8725 or Cindy at 895-2949. We have a variety of on-going projects to become involved with.

* * *

Mendocino County Bee Club Monthly Meeting - Ukiah Garden Club - 1203 W. Clay St., Ukiah, CA 95482 - 6:30 - 8:30 pm.

* * *

Our wonderful Fresh Fruits and Vegetables grant was not funded this year and our kiddos are really missing the morning "produce" snack. We would love to request a donation of any surplus fruits and veggies that can be eaten raw for the elementary school children. Please contact Donna or the AVES office staff at 895-3010. Thanks for keeping our children eating those fruits and vegetables! — Donna Pierson-Pugh, Principal

Anderson Valley Elementary School

* * *

The Anderson Valley Grange is having its regular second Sunday Local Organic Pancake and Egg Breakfast on October 12, 8:30-11 at the Grange in Philo at 9800 Hwy 128. Breakfast ranges from $5-10 for kids through hungry folks sizes, with Mendocino Grain Project wheat and local bacon and eggs. Gluten free available.

* * *

From the AV Food Bank

Gardeners, Farmers and Produce Growers of all kinds, please remember Food Bank days (3rd Tuesday of every month) as a place to donate your extra produce. It will be greatly appreciated. Please drop off on the Monday before, behind Boonville Methodist Church. Thanks

If you need someone to glean your produce to take to the Food Bank, contact Valerie Kim at valerie.h.kim@gmail.com.

Denisse Mattei is the Food Bank director. You can reach her at 895-3763.

* * *

There are now two Farmers Guilds in Mendocino County. The Mendocino Farmers Guild meets on 3rd Tuesdays at the Little Lake Grange in Willits. The Mendocino Coast Farmers Guild meets on 2nd Tuesdays at the Fort Bragg Grange. For more information on what the Farm Guild is all about, go to http://www.farmersguild.org

* * *

Petit Teton Farm at 18601 Hwy 128 is open most of the time during the week and Saturday after 2pm and most Sunday afternoons. Stop by or email farmer@petitteton.com or call 684.4146 to find out if we're open and what's available or just drop in. We look forward to seeing you.

WILL PARRISH THANKS SUPPORTERS

Dear friends,

I'm writing, first of all, with a long-overdue expression of gratitude to everyone who supported my Indiegogo campaign, "Resistance to Watershed Destruction in California." I reached my $5,500 funding goal in 16 days. Actually, due to the generosity of a handful of folks who opted to give a personal check instead of an online donation, I exceeded the goal by about 25 percent. Thanks again to everyone! I feel very nourished by all the support, and inspired to craft the most heartfelt, truthful, impactful, and useful writings I possibly can in the coming months.

Some especially notable help came from Julia Dakin, who helped create my promotional video; Mark Scaramella, who provided an exceedingly generous donation; Cal Winslow, who interviewed me for an hour on his great KZYX program (which airs Thursday at 1 p.m. and is easily one of the best programs on the station); Dave Smith, who interviewed me in the AVA and on Ukiah Community Blog; Kate Marianchild, who sent some really fruitful promotional e-mails to her contacts; and Lucy Neely, who offered a lot of encouragement and logistical support.

I am way behind on sending out the perks that people signed up for; writing 83 personalized thank-you notes on cardboard salmon cut-outs, for example, is a bit time-consuming. If you signed up for a perk and haven't received it yet, I promise it is coming soon!

Speaking of my writing regarding water issues, I am featured in a documentary with strong production values and distribution that is being released this month, called "The Russian River: All Rivers." The premier is October 5th at 415 Center St. in Cloverdale, with other initial showings in Healdsburg (Oct. 6), Coos Bay, OR (Oct. 21) and Sebastopol (Oct. 27). The web site is http://russianriverallrivers.com/. My disembodied voice appears in the trailer at 2:35, right after the segue to harrowing violin music.

As a final note, I've decided to restart the e-mail list I once used for distributing my writings to friends. I stopped the list some time back because I wanted people simply to pay for a subscription to the AVA -- $25/yr. (online) or $50/yr. (print). Print publications have a far greater capacity to hold people's attention spans than online media, which is pretty important if your goal is to convey depth and perspective, as opposed to distracted sampling of small bits of information from a huge breadth of sources. But I digress...

I steadfastly encourage people to subscribe to the AVA, but I'll resume sending out most of my pieces via e-mail since I also have to balance my goal of giving the most people possible a chance to read them.

Below you'll find a piece I published in the AVA last week. This is the first version of a piece that I will be fine-tuning and expanding in coming weeks as I seek to publish it a national magazine with significant distribution. So, if you have a blog or web site, please do not post this. But enjoy reading it...

Thanks again to all!

Yours in the good fight,

Will Parrish

GOVERNOR BROWN SIGNS DOZENS OF NEW BILLS

By Melody Gutierrez

California will become the first state in the nation to ban single-use plastic bags under one of the dozens of bills signed Tuesday by Gov. Jerry Brown.

Other significant bills signed by the governor allow Californians to obtain court orders to have guns confiscated from a threatening friend or family member; increase inspections for limousines and require them to be equipped with fire extinguishers; raise penalties for teens convicted of sex offenses against someone who is passed out; and require toy guns to be brightly colored so they aren’t mistaken for real weapons.

As the deadline approached to pass or veto bills filed during this legislative session, Brown vetoed several political ethics bills proposed in the wake of criminal cases against three senators this year. Brown said the bills would only make gift and campaign rules more complicated “without commensurate benefit.” Brown also vetoed two truancy bills pushed by Attorney General Kamala Harris that increased the amount of attendance data collected and reported by school districts.

In all, Brown signed 930 bills this year and vetoed 143.

Other significant bills signed recently by Brown create the state’s first regulation over groundwater; require state colleges and universities to adopt “affirmative consent” policies that require students to clearly agree to having sex; and eliminate sentencing disparities between crack and powder cocaine.

Most new laws go into effect Jan. 1, although the plastic bag ban doesn’t begin until July 2015.

Many cities and counties in the state have adopted plastic bag bans since San Francisco became the first city in the nation to outlaw them in 2007.

“It’s very heartening to see a first-of-its-kind local legislative endeavor transform into state law, and a simmering national movement,” said San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi, who authored San Francisco’s ban while on the Board of Supervisors in 2006.

Each year, California spends $25 million to dispose of 14 billion plastic bags, according to a legislative analysis of the bill. Plastic bags make up 2 percent of the state’s overall waste, but they are the predominant form of marine debris.

Under SB270 by Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Pacoima (Los Angeles County), grocery stores and pharmacies statewide will phase out plastic bags by July 2015. A year later, convenience stores and liquor stores can no longer distribute plastic bags.

“This bill is a step in the right direction — it reduces the torrent of plastic polluting our beaches, parks and even the vast ocean itself,” Brown said in a statement Tuesday. “We’re the first to ban these bags, and we won’t be the last.”

SB270 provides $2 million in competitive loans to help plastic bag manufacturers convert their operations to produce reusable bags. Grocers will be required to charge at least 10 cents for each recycled paper bag or reusable bag provided to a customer.

Fierce battle over bags

The bill was one of the most watched proposals in the Legislature this year, with grocers, plastic bag manufacturers and unions fiercely lobbying lawmakers about the potential loss of jobs and about how the 10-cent charge for recycled bags can be used.

Opponents of the bill said the statewide plastic bag ban is government overreach, while others argued that the per-bag fee grocers will charge will amount to a windfall that essentially allows customers to be charged twice since the cost of carry-out bags is already factored into store prices.

An industry group for plastic bag manufacturers said it is already gathering the signatures needed to put a referendum on the 2016 ballot.

“Since state lawmakers failed their constituents by approving this terrible bill, we will take the question directly to the public and have great faith they will repeal it at the ballot box,” said Lee Califf, executive director at the American Progressive Bag Alliance.

Brown signed “Audrie’s Law,” a bill that increases penalties and decreases privacy protections for teens convicted of sex acts on someone who is passed out from drugs or alcohol or incapable of giving consent due to a disability.

The bill, SB838 by Sen. Jim Beall, D-San Jose, is named after a Saratoga teen who was sexually assaulted while she lay unconscious by boys who then shared photos of the incident with classmates. Audrie Pott, 15, committed suicide eight days after the assault.

“The bill takes a step in the right direction to make sure people are held accountable,” Beall said Tuesday.

Light sentences for the three teens convicted of assaulting Pott prompted her parents, Sheila and Lawrence Pott, to push for tougher sentences. The three teenage boys who admitted to “digitally penetrating” Pott and sharing photos of the crime were ordered to serve between 30 days and 45 days in juvenile detention. Two of the boys served their time on weekends.

Under Audrie’s Law, teens convicted of such a crime would be ordered to pay for and complete a sex offender treatment program. The bill also allows for the typically confidential juvenile proceedings to be opened to the public in cases that involve a sex assault on an incapacitated person.

Responses to gun tragedies

Brown signed two bills Tuesday written in response to gun tragedies, one that creates a “gun violence restraining order” in California and another requiring toy guns sold in the state to have bright-colored markings so that they are not mistaken for real firearms.

Sen. Kevin de León, D-Los Angeles, said SB199 would help law enforcement officers distinguish between replica toy guns and real weapons in hopes of avoiding the kind of confusion that led to the death of 13-year-old Andy Lopez. A Sonoma County deputy shot the eighth-grader last year near his home outside Santa Rosa after mistaking his replica AK-47 for a real one.

Under the gun violence restraining order, family and friends can petition a court to have guns temporarily removed from a person who is deemed a danger to themselves or others.

Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, and Das Williams, D-Santa Barbara, introduced AB1014 after the deadly rampage in May at Isla Vista near UC Santa Barbara.

Under AB1014, family members can petition a judge to request that firearms be taken from a loved one who they believe poses a serious threat. Under current law, officers can confiscate guns from people who are felons, have a record of mental instability or who have domestic violence restraining orders against them.

Gun rights advocates opposed the bill, saying AB1014 has low standards for proving a person is a threat before confiscating their guns.

Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, a Tea Party favorite from Twin Peaks (San Bernardino County), said last month that he worried the bill would give virtual strangers the ability to take away a person’s Second Amendment rights.

“How do we prevent one of these mass shootings?” Donnelly asked prior to the Legislature passing AB1014. “I’m afraid we cannot do it with laws. We cannot legislate that darkness, that evil that lurks in the hearts of men. Only God can fix that.”

Skinner said it’s often family and friends who spot the warning signs of someone in crisis, such as in the Isla Vista shooting. The mother of the killer, 22-year-old Elliott Rodger, attempted to alert authorities to her son’s threats in the weeks leading up to the rampage.

Brown signed a bill written in the wake of a limousine fire on the San Mateo Bridge that trapped and killed a bride and four other women. SB611, by Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, requires fire extinguishers in limousines and inspections by the California Highway Patrol. Under the new law, limousine companies must pay for the inspections and are required to install fire extinguishers in the driver’s compartment and passenger cabin.

Call for beach access

Brown also signed a new law that is yet another blow to venture capitalist Vinod Khosla. The bill by Hill allows the state to forcibly open a public access road to Martins Beach if Khosla fails to voluntarily restore public access to the picturesque cove near Half Moon Bay.

Khosla was ordered last week by San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Barbara Mallach to reopen the gate to the beach and allow the public in — or get a state permit to close the road. Khosla has said he would probably appeal the ruling, which did not address the issue of the public’s long-term right to access the beach, which is popular with surfers.

SB968 requires the State Lands Commission to negotiate with Khosla for one year in an attempt to find a permanent solution. If an agreement can’t be reached within a year, the commission must acquire all or a portion of the property by eminent domain to create a public access road.

“The governor continued his lifelong commitment to protecting California’s environment and making it accessible to all members of the public,” Hill said Tuesday in a prepared statement.

Melody Gutierrez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: mgutierrez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @MelodyGutierrez

New laws for California

A sampling of bills signed Tuesday by Gov. Jerry Brown:

SB1255 by Sen. Anthony Cannella, R-Ceres (Stanislaus County): The bill makes it a crime to post private naked photos or videos of someone without his or her consent, regardless of who took the picture. A bill authored by the senator last year did not apply to “selfies,” but with this legislation, the revenge porn protections cover all images that are intended to be private.

AB2643 by Assemblyman Bob Wieckowski, D-Fremont: A person who posts a naked photo of someone online without his or her consent can be found liable for civil penalties.

SB1019 by Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco: Manufacturers will be required to disclose on furniture labels whether the piece contains potentially dangerous flame-retardant chemicals. California no longer requires upholstered furniture to be manufactured with flame retardants. Leno’s bill lets consumers know whether the furniture complies with fire safety standards with or without flame retardants.

AB1517 by Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley: California will set timelines for testing rape kits and entering information into a national DNA database as part of efforts to erase the state’s backlog of untested evidence from sexual assault cases.

SB926 by Sen. Jim Beall, D-San Jose: The statute of limitations will be extended for victims of childhood sex abuse to press charges against their abuser. Under current law, victims have until they turn 28 to press charges for childhood sex abuse; the bill extends that to age 40. Brown vetoed another bill, SB924 by Beall, that extended the time for filing a civil lawsuit regarding childhood sex abuse.

AB510 by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco: Campaigns will be required to disclose whether a person purporting to speak for a specific profession in an ad was paid to appear and not actually a member of that profession.

SB1172 by Sen. Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento: Children will receive near-vision screenings in schools in addition to long-distance vision tests already offered to ensure kids can see books when reading.

AB1710 by Assembly members Bob Wieckowski, D-Fremont, and Roger Dickinson, D-Sacramento: Businesses that are the source of a data breach will be required to offer identity theft protection services to victims for a year at no cost when the information stolen includes Social Security numbers or driver’s license numbers.

New laws for California

A sampling of bills signed Tuesday by Gov. Jerry Brown:

SB1255 by Sen. Anthony Cannella, R-Ceres: The bill makes it a crime to post private naked photos or videos of someone without their consent, regardless of who took the picture. A bill authored by the senator last year did not apply to “selfies,” but with this legislation, the revenge porn protections cover all images that are intended to be private.

AB2643 by Assemblyman Bob Wieckowski, D-Fremont: A person who posts a naked photo of someone online without their consent can be found liable for civil penalties.

SB1019 by Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco: Manufacturers will be required to disclose on furniture labels whether the piece contains potentially dangerous flame-retardant chemicals. California no longer requires upholstered furniture to be manufactured with flame retardants. Leno’s bill lets consumers know whether the furniture complies with fire safety standards with or without flame retardants.

AB1517 by Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley: California will set timelines for testing rape kits and entering information into a national DNA database as part of efforts to erase the state’s backlog of untested evidence from sexual assault cases.

SB926 by Sen. Jim Beall, D-San Jose: The statute of limitations will be extended for victims of childhood sex abuse to press charges against their abuser. Under current law, victims have until they turn 28 to press charges for childhood sex abuse; the bill extends that to age 40. Brown vetoed another bill, SB924 by Beall, that extended the time for filing a civil lawsuit regarding childhood sex abuse.

AB510 by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco: Campaigns will be required to disclose whether a person purporting to speak for a specific profession in an ad was paid to appear and not actually a member of that profession.

SB1172 by Sen. Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento: Children will receive near-vision screenings in schools in addition to long-distance vision tests already offered to ensure kids can see books when reading.

AB1710 by Assembly members Bob Wieckowski, D-Fremont, and Roger Dickinson, D-Sacramento: Businesses that are the source of a data breach will be required to offer identity theft protection services to victims for a year at no cost when the information stolen includes Social Security numbers or driver’s license numbers.

(courtesy, the San Francisco Chronicle)

HOPE & SYMBOLISM, ANYWAY

Editor,

My Favorite Four Letter Word

Okay, you Nattering Nabobs of Negativism, listen up. I know you’re tired, disgusted, and thoroughly pissed off by the Gigolos running this country. You and I know almost all politicians are for sale to the highest bidder and we know the highest bidders are getting richer every day on the backs of us wage slaves. And, it seems there’s nothing we can do about it. Or is there?

Yes, there is actually. And it doesn’t just mean lifting our sharpened pencil and voting the bums out of office. There is hope even beyond that. Sometimes a bunch of common folks get so fed up that they decide to get it together, even here in Mendoland, to put something on the ballot that will knock your socks off. Something that will benefit us, our kids, and their kids, for a long time to come.

If you do nothing else this fall, at least peruse your election ballot and go to the very end where you’ll see Measure S. Then take your pencil or pen and fill in the box that says YES. What have you done? You may prevent your tap water from catching fire. Not only is such tap water not fit to drink for you or your kids. It’s not fit to drink for your cats and dogs and it will probably kill any plants you’re trying to grow.

Measure S is a citizens initiative, like Measure H, the GMO ban was, seeking to prevent something bad from happening in our county. That ‘bad’ would be fracking. Measure S puts the people’s will before the will and greed of the corporate giants who want to make still more money, even it means contaminating your water source. Measure S, if passed, won’t let them do that.

Sure, it isn’t perfect and there will probably be a battle with the Big Boys when it is passed. However, ‘Bring them on’, I say. Let’s get this fight and the disparities between the Haves, and Have Nots out in the open. If the People have spoken, is anyone listening? You bet! There is Hope. It’s my favorite four letter word (in spite of Bill Clinton). You can have it too, It will bring a bounce to your step. Try it.

Els Cooperrider

Ukiah

CATCH OF THE DAY, October 1, 2014

RODERIC BEETS, Upper Lake. Driving on license suspended by DUI.

ANDREA FISCHER, Caspar. False report of crime, probation revocation.

ANTHONY HOISINGTON, Ukiah. Rape, violation of community probation.

JEFFREY KOSTICK, Fort Bragg. Domestic battery, negligent discharge of firearm, probation revocation.

JENNIFER KRAUTH, Willits. DUI with priors, under influence of controlled substance. (Photo not available.)

ROBERT PECK, Las Vegas/Ukiah. Failure to appear. (Photo not available.)

ADAM POTTER, Eureka/Willits. Soliciting alms in public.

JOSE RAMIREZ, Ukiah. Under influence of controlled substance.

ERIK RUDZITIS, Seaside/Ukiah. Drunk in public.

CALEB SILVER, Willits. Domestic assault.

DESIREE SHELLHART, Redwood City/Ukiah. Drunk in public.

JOHN TURNER, Willits. Forgery of vehicle registration, driving on suspended license.

BRYAN WILLIAMS, Fort Bragg. DUI.

WALTON FAMILY FOUNDATION GAVE $9,234,866 TO NGOs BACKING WATER BOND

by Dan Bacher

An analysis of environmental grants that the Walton Family Foundation gave to conservation organizations in 2013 reveals that NGOs supporting Proposition 1, the water bond on California's November ballot, received $9,234,866 in grants while opponents of the controversial measure received none.

The Walton Family Foundation is governed by the descendants of Sam and Helen Walton, the founders of retail giant Walmart.

“The Walton Family Foundation continues a philanthropic vision begun by Walmart founders Sam and Helen Walton,” according to the Foundation website. “Across diverse areas of giving that include education reform, freshwater and marine conservation and community and economic development, Walton family members carry forward the timeless Walton value of creating opportunity so that individuals and communities can live better in today’s world.”

Supporters of the water bond getting money from the Walton Family Foundation in 2013 include the Nature Conservancy, National Audubon Society (the parent organization of Audubon California, a bond backer), Trout Unlimited, American Rivers, Defenders of Wildlife and Ducks Unlimited. The Foundation lists their environmental contributions in three categories: freshwater conservation, marine conservation and other conservation grants. (http://www.waltonfamilyfoundation.org/2013-environment-grants)

The Nature Conservancy received a total of $5,482,699 from the Walton Family Foundation in 2013. This includes $1,545,963 for freshwater conservation on the Colorado River, $1,437,986 for freshwater conservation on the Mississippi River. $475,000 for marine conservation, and $2,023,750 for other conservation grants.

National Audubon Society, the parent organization of Audubon California, received $2,570,767, including $312,100 for freshwater conservation on the Colorado River, $2,058,667 for freshwater conservation on the Mississippi River and $200,000 for marine conservation.

Trout Unlimited was awarded $610,650 for freshwater conservation on the Colorado River.

American Rivers received $424,400 for freshwater conservation on the Colorado River.

Defenders of Wildlife got $100,058 for freshwater conservation on the Mississippi River.

Finally, Ducks Unlimited, Inc. received $46,292 for freshwater conservation on the Mississippi River from the Walton Family Foundation.

On the other side, opponents of the water bond include the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, California Striped Bass Association, California Water Impact Network (C-WIN), Center for Biological Diversity, Central Delta Water Agency, Concerned Citizens Coalition of Stockton, Factory Farm Awareness Coalition, Friends of the River, Food and Water Watch, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, Restore the Delta, San Francisco Crab Boat Association, Sherman Island Duck Hunters Association, Small Boat Commercial Salmon Fishermens’ Association, South Delta Water Agency, Southern California Watershed Alliance and the Winnemem Wintu Tribe.

Guess how much money the Walton Family donated to these organizations in 2013? Zero.

Zeke Grader, Executive Director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, said, “It is highly troubling to see the impact that Walmart and a few big foundations are having on the conservation of our resources, as well as the protection of our artisanal and traditional fisheries including tribal fisheries.”

The Walton Family Foundation is known for dumping millions of dollars every year into corporate environmental NGOs, including the Environmental Defense Fund, Conservation International, Nature Conservancy and the Ocean Conservancy, that promote the privatization of the oceans through “catch shares,” questionable “marine protected areas” and other projects.

For more information about the Walton Family Foundation and the environmental NGOs that it funds, go to: http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/11/29/walmarting-the-rivers-and-oceans/

About Proposition 1:

California Proposition 1, the Water Bond (Assembly Bill 1471), is on the November 4, 2014, ballot in California as a legislatively-referred bond act. This measure replaced a previous measure known as Proposition 43.[1]

The measure, upon voter approval, would enact the Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014.

Proposal 1, if approved, would:

Authorize $7.12 billion in general obligation bonds for state water supply infrastructure projects, such as public water system improvements, surface and groundwater storage, drinking water protection, water recycling and advanced water treatment technology, water supply management and conveyance, wastewater treatment, drought relief, emergency water supplies, and ecosystem and watershed protection and restoration.

Appropriate money from the General Fund to pay off bonds.

Require certain projects to provide matching funds from non-state sources in order to receive bond funds.

For more information about the water bond including arguments pro and con, go to: http://www.cavotes.org/vote/election/2014/november/4/ballot-measure/proposition-1/more