Mendocino County Today: Friday, Jun 12, 2015

• Coate Resigns
• Sketchy Incident
• Warriors Win
• Sequeira Drafted
• The Recall
• Last Drop
• Railroad Case
• Mendocino Farms
• Slush Bonds
• Yesterday's Catch
• Lonesome Cry
• Fred LaCour
• Samoa Mill
• Police Cameras
• Bernie Bandwagon
• Israel Lobby
• Paper Craft
• Hersh Letter
• Corcos
• Sako's Recommendation

COATE TO RESIGN

From: "Stuart Campbell" <thales1104@comcast.net>
To: "kzyxboard" <kzyxboard@lists.mcn.org>
Sent: Thursday, June 11, 2015 3:28:00 PM
Subject: [KZYX-Board]- Personnel

Our Executive Director and General Manager, John Coate, has decided to resign his position with our organization, effective July 1, 2015. He has accomplished a great deal in his nearly seven years with us:

1. Put the organization on an even keel financially, and implemented sound financial procedures;
2. Both maintained and expanded a quality and hard-working staff;
3. Improved the infrastructure, both with new equipment and obtaining redundant systems;
4. Improved our product with: a. New programming—including public affairs, music, and news; b. An improved website; c. Most recently our Jukebox archiving feature.
5. Navigated the KZYX ship through quite choppy waters, under lots of stress, and done so with aplomb.

John will be selling his home and moving out of the county to spend more time with his family. He has expressed his deep appreciation for all the support he has received over the years, and will see us all at the June 29^th Board meeting in Willits.

As always, you are welcome to communicate with him via email or at the office.

Stuart Campbell
, MCPB Board President

THAT TERRIBLE FATHER-SON SUICIDE in Potter Valley nearly three weeks ago was Kevin Paul Allen, 50, and his 21-year-old son. Five years ago, Allen was the alleged victim in the sketchy incident described here in the Ukiah Daily Journal of October 25th, 2010:

* * *

Potter Valley man shot during alleged home invasion

The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help in its investigation of a Saturday night attempted murder in Potter Valley. MCSO deputies were dispatched to a local hospital at about 11 p.m. to talk to a victim of a gunshot wound. Deputies contacted Kevin Paul Allen, 45, of Potter Valley, who reported he was in the garage area of his DeShields Ranch Road home about an hour before when four or five Hispanic men allegedly came in through the garage door. Allen noticed one of the men had a rifle. He verbally confronted them about their presence and was reportedly shot once in the right arm by the man holding the rifle. After being shot, Allen was bound with rope, duct tape and a pair of handcuffs. The men allegedly took the keys to Allen's pickup truck and beat him. Sometime later, the men allegedly put Allen inside a shed near the home, still bound. Allen was able to free himself and fled while the men were possibly still at his residence. A neighbor drove Allen to the hospital, where he was treated for his injured arm. Allen believed the men were at his home to steal 25 marijuana plants he was growing there. The Hispanic men were described as being of average height, having dark hair, dark eyes and a dark skin tone. Investigation by the MCSO detective unit continued as of Monday morning. Anyone with information about the incident is urged to call the MCSO Tip-Line at 467-9159. Callers can leave information anonymously.

UPDATE: The MCSO is still investigating whether any of Allen's marijuana plants were stolen, according to Capt. Kurt Smallcomb. Allen claimed he grew the plants for medical use, and whether his grow was within legal parameters is also under investigation, Smallcomb said.

* * *

"AVERAGE HEIGHT, dark hair, dark eyes and a dark skin tone"? This episode never was cleared up, and exactly what happened is not known.

WARRIORS WIN BIG, GIANTS LOSE SQUEAKER. In a reversal of Tuesday's night's Bay Area outcomes, the Golden State Warriors went small, pushed the pace, hit more baskets, contained LeBron and evened the NBA Finals to 2-2 regaining home court advantage coming back to Warracle Arena for the fifth game in the series on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Giants lost a squeaker to the Mets in New York, but still came away with the series win before they return to ATT Park Friday.

DEPUTY DA Paul Sequeira's son, Anthony Sequeira, was drafted today by the Phillies. A hard-throwing right hander, Sequeira, who played his high school baseball in Petaluma, was selected in 684 overall in Round 23 of the annual draft.

Sequeira was the 2015 Summit League Player of the Year, hitting .341/.423/.583 for Oral Roberts, but the Phillies have drafted him as a pitcher.

The Philadelphia Phillies drafted former Petaluma High and Santa Rosa Junior College star Anthony Sequeira in the 23rd round of the MLB Draft on Wednesday.

Sequeira, a 6-foot-6, 235-pound senior at Oral Roberts, was the 684th overall selection.

Sequeira was the 2015 Summit League Player of the Year. A talented hitter as well as a pitcher, Sequeira hit .341 and led the Golden Eagles in home runs (11) and runs batted in (58).

As a relief pitcher, Sequeira had 11 saves, a 1.38 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 32-2/3 innings.

Sequeira led Petaluma High School to the Sonoma County League championship twice during his high school career. He was an All-Empire selection by The Press Democrat his junior and senior seasons.

After high school, Sequeira played two seasons at Santa Rosa Junior College, where he was named to the All-Big 8 Conference Second Team in 2013.

THE FORT BRAGG RECALL

by Rex Gressett

For the first time in its long and storied history the little town of Fort Bragg is recalling a major public official. Our Mayor Dave Turner who squeaked to victory on a fraction of a percentage point is the object of a recall campaign, and is going to face the voters again.

I am not a member of the group that has initiated the recall, but I have been outspoken in my support of it and understand the reasons for it. It must be remembered that the proponents of recall are just citizens. They are independent people from a variety of backgrounds holding a diversity of views. They do not really speak with one voice. What unites them is a strong conviction that the city is in trouble and that the management of the city has fallen into untrustworthy and deceptive hands.

The opposition to the recall is led by the loyal family of the mayor. Their first stratagem for opposing the recall was love. Love for the city, implicit love for the mayor and I guess love as a general guiding political principle. Now they have entered into a new phase of their campaign putting it in their material and posters and on the net that the people who thought they were embracing a procedure of our democratic republic are "undermining democracy." The irony escapes them.

Civic love and the concept that voting, discussion, elections themselves and debate are all somehow antithetical to democracy are not new ideas in our little town. For years the city council and the city management have made it the chief boast of their policy that no debate and no discussion was needed in our unique city government. After all people get to line up and talk (for three minuets each) at the city council meetings, one might ask how much democracy do you need? The city council is of course not allowed to respond and contents themselves with trying not to roll their eyes. The mayor's children are outspoken that the very idea of something as radical as an election is at the very best an advanced case of bad manners and is in every way irresponsible.

But I think that they are too late. The era of unanimous harmony already ended for good at the last election with the victory of at least two councilmen who claim to be and I think are representative of a loyal opposition. Quite a new thing. And indeed even before that the cat was effectively out of the bag.

It is being said that the recall is about a single issue. It is true that the arrangements that the city management made for the proposed use of the Old Coast Hotel was the specific event that precipitated the recall, but the unease and dissatisfaction with the city go far deeper than that.

Our city council has been given an impossible job. They take the blame for everything but don't and can't really do anything. City management, that is to say Linda Ruffing, the city manager, and Marie Jones the development director, are "tasked" as they call it with doing the thinking, planning, grant getting and money raising, the management of city money, the hiring and firing, and the process of planning for the city. The city council is there to provide them with guidance. The city management is in daily and instant communication with each other and they have offices to work from. They are paid extravagant salaries. The city council members get three hundred bucks a month and meet every two weeks. They are not allowed by law to meet otherwise except in pairs. In theory, their job is to adopt or reject the proposals and policies of the city management but in practice they never quibble or complain. They are not a check on the city management they are its compliant tools.

When a developer comes to town, or can be found (and this very much includes not for profit developers like Hospitality House) to get things done, by law, and to cut through the red tape they must form an alliance with city management. They must hire these managers to package their proposal and then to sell it to the people of the city. The city management prepares extensive documentation and packages the proposal officially, which of course costs a great deal of money — money which the city needs very much. Once the city has been paid by the developer, the city management takes the project that they have worked so hard on and advocates for it at the city council meetings, not infrequently against the judgment and best interests of the people of the city. The unconsulted and unrepresented people then find themselves first surprised and then in a fight with their own city. This is standard operating practice.

The city council is supposedly a kind of referee in all of this. They are nice folks in their helpless way. The mayor especially is a calm and gentle man. But as a matter of established practice the needs and wishes and desires of the people of the city carry no weight at all with them, certainly not compared to the immutable convention of accommodating the professionals that have brought in the money. To resist the determinations of the development director, one must be prepared to resist money. Not an option. Not for this Mayor. Ever. The issue never arises.

The ever so kind supporters of the current system, and there are many, point out that it brings in money. If people would just shut up and let them alone it could all be done without dissension or bad feelings. True, but it also disenfranchises the people and nullifies their best interests.

Sometimes the money is absolutely for good things. There is a park, and the coastal trail comes to mind. Sometimes it is for unmitigated disasters. Be it good or bad, the decision is not with the people or their representatives. Discussion is irrelevant. Decisions are reached far in advance of any meeting. Our elected representatives have been co-opted. The city manager is simply making money and does not by the nature of her job description care how. City council supports that.

To a lot of people the Old Coast Hotel is the symbol for this system. But the merge project and the proposed shopping center across from Harvest are also examples. Marie has warned us a raft of incoming projects are on the board. If the recall is not successful there will be no effective opposition to any of them. I believe that if we lose on this one they will effectively own our town.

We do not really care about the mayor, who is strictly a rubber stamp. What we want is a voting majority with which to defend the people’s interest. Far from undermining democracy as they say we are doing, our objective is to re-establish representative democracy. To get our town back

The city management does not mind a fight. They like it when the people act up. It gives them a product. If they can point out to developers that the opposition of the people, however many, is an inconsequence, then they can charge what they like. Business will come pouring in. If we fight and they win, then they really will have a product. The recall is the best thing that ever happened to Marie Jones if they win, and they may well win. Although we are fighting the good fight for the very existence of a local democracy we will not surely prevail. The power of an entrenched incumbency is very very great. It is sad but true that in America an entrenched political machine is rarely defeated. This is not a battle against the mayor, it is a battle with an entire group of powerful people united in their objectives and having each other’s backs. They control our city in opposition to the people and are not about to give it back.

Even our new councilmen are afraid to cast in their lot with the people, preferring to remain "neutral". Great heroes.

Were it not for a few brave citizens who put not only enormous quantities of time but a lot of money also into opposing the city, the city political machine would have easily run right over us. But I must say I think that we surprised them.

These good people are now taking the heat. They are suffering defamation at the hands of the mayor's ever so loyal children and all of their willing followers. But that's how it is. To defeat a powerful entrenched incumbency in America requires heroes. These people standing up for the rest of us are the finest kind of patriot and therefore must be and are willing to absorb the slander which an entrenched political machine is heaping upon them.

In the future I would also like to write about the Old Coast Hotel and the total unfitness of the building to address the real needs of the homeless. The jolly complicity of the city is in what could reasonably be construed as tax fraud, the callous and egregious misuse of public monies, the illegal secrecy with which the deal was arranged, very much behind the backs of the people. All of these matters are part of the political discourse and have been deliberately obscured and hidden and should be addressed if only because so many citizens believe them to be true. But they are not the reason for the recall.

(Rex Gressett can be reached at rex.gressett@aol.com)

THE LAST DROP

State wants users of Russian River creeks to conserve

The State Water Resources Control Board is proposing a new emergency regulation that would require the users of four Russian River tributaries all within Sonoma County.

The regulations would enhance water conservation efforts in the affected region to provide the minimum amount of water needed to protect Coho salmon and steelhead trout from low oxygen levels, high water temperatures and stranded pools in the wake of the continuing severe drought conditions, according to the State Water Board, and affect about 13,000 properties in the 113 square miles encompassed by the watersheds of the four tributaries: Dutch Bill, Green Valley, Mark West and Mill creeks (not the Ukiah Mill Creek, this one is in Sonoma County).

The regulation will be considered by the board on June 17 and must also receive approval of the state Office of Administrative Law. If approved, it would become effective on or about June 29.

The Russian River tributaries are prime spawning ground for the salmon and trout, and low flows, already a problem before the drought, have been made worse by the extremely dry conditions of the past three years, the board notes. Increased pumping of surface and groundwater results in disconnected stream systems with low flows, isolated pools with low oxygen levels, and elevated temperatures that kill fish and threaten coho salmon with extinction.

When it became clear that voluntary water conservation efforts to provide minimal flows for fish would fall short this year, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, working with NMFS, requested that the State Water Resources Control Board take action to provide the small amount of water necessary to maintain pools that can support summer rearing and migration of coho salmon and steelhead.

The regulation would require enhanced conservation measures for all users of water (e.g. residences and businesses, including wineries) diverting from the four watersheds, including groundwater, resulting in more water remaining instream. The regulation also includes reporting for surface and groundwater use.

Groundwater is included in the proposed regulation because the close hydraulic connection between groundwater and surface water in the region make groundwater pumping a significant factor in stream flows.

Water used for commercial agriculture purposes only would be excluded from the conservation restrictions, which are:

• Using potable for ornamental turf
• Applying water to landscapes in a manner that causes runoff such that water flows onto adjacent property, non-irrigated areas, private and public walkways, roadways, parking lots, or structures;
• Applying potable water to landscapes more than two days per week;
• Applying potable water between the hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Washing motor vehicles, except with gray water or at car wash facilities where the water is part of a recirculating system;
• Applying water to driveways and sidewalks;
• Using potable water to fill or refill decorative ponds, fountains and other decorative water features except where the water is part of a recirculating system;
• Watering landscapes during and within 48 hours after measurable rainfall.

The proposed regulation would require diverters, if directed by the State Water Board, to provide information on the sources and uses of both surface and groundwater diverted from the watersheds and applies to all landowners in and suppliers of water from the watersheds. Information obtained through these informational orders will provide the State Water Board with critical information to accurately estimate total water demand, and the burden that this demand places on stream flows, in the four priority tributary watersheds.

* * *

Proposed Resolution to Adopt Drought-Related Emergency Regulation on Tributaries to the Russian River

This is a message from the State Water Resources Control Board.

This message is to notify interested parties that the State Water Resources Control Board will consider a proposed Resolution to adopt a drought-related emergency regulation requiring enhanced water conservation and additional water user information for the protection of specific fisheries in four tributaries to the Russian River (Dutch Bill Creek, Green Valley Creek, Mark West Creek and Mill Creek) on June 17 at its June 16-17 Board Meeting.

Information on this proposed Resolution, including the draft regulation, fact sheet, and other related informational materials, is available on the State Water Board website and can be accessed at:

http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/drought/water_action_russianriver.shtml

From: lyris@swrcb18.waterboards.ca.gov

CENTRAL VALLEY FARMERS Side With NorthCoast Enviros in North Coast Railroad Supreme Court Case

by Hank Sims

Local railroad politics have always inspired weird alliances. Think back just a few years ago, when the Arcata liberal political establishment-types of the day – John Woolley, Wes Chesbro, Dan Hauser – were strapped to a bunch of suspenders-wearing, pinstripe-capped choo-choo obsessives, running a three-legged race toward the eternally imminent restoration of freight train service to Humboldt Bay.

But even those bedfellows are not as strange as the ones who came together last week, when big Central Valley farming interests sided with the two local environmental groups – Friends of the Eel and Californians for Alternatives to Toxics – that are taking the state-run North Coast Railroad Authority to the California Supreme Court.

Both sides in that case have already filed their briefs to the State Supremes. To put their dispute as briefly as possible the enviro groups argue that the North Coast Railroad Authority must follow state environmental law because it is a public entity – a subdivision of the state. The railroad authority argues that it doesn’t have to follow state environmental law because it is a railroad, and states don’t get to tell railroads what to do. (The Outpost recapped their respective cases in greater detail here and here.)

The legal subtleties make this a saucy dish for a high court, but if you didn’t know how to read between the lines the facts of the matter would make it seem boring and provincial: a railroad that has existed mostly on paper for the last two decades, almost always near bankruptcy, fighting to keep itself alive in a bureaucratic sense, if not an actual one. In the last few weeks, though, the case’s docket has been invaded by players from outside the North Coast, and they are playing for very high stakes indeed.

That’s because the future of the California High-Speed Rail Project – Gov. Jerry Brown’s $68 billion-plus bid for immortality – hangs, in no small part, on what the Supreme Court ends up making of Friends of the Eel v. North Coast Railroad Authority. Friends and enemies of high speed rail are now picking sides in the dispute over our imaginary railroad.

The Fresno Bee notes that two Central Valley farming interests – the Madera County Farm Bureau and the Merced County Farm Bureau – have hopped into the fray … and on the side of the freak hippie Humboldt enviros! This is because the farmers, in their battle with the state over high-speed rail, are relying on the same argument that the hippies are relying on here: That a state railroad agency may not ignore the California Environmental Quality Act. So the farm bureaus have filed friends-of-the-court briefs arguing that the Supreme Court must rule for the enviros.

“We can’t afford not to have CEQA in place to protect our members, other businesses and residents in both counties from [high-speed rail’s] major impacts,” the Madera County Farm Bureau chief tells the Bee. If you know anything about Central Valley water politics, this is a strange turn of affairs indeed.

It’s happening on the other side, too, with all the high-speed rail amicus curae pouring reams of paper into the docket. For instance: The state itself. The Brown Administration doesn’t care about the North Coast Railroad Authority, but it does care very much about the California High-Speed Rail Authority. The California Attorney General’s Office will write a brief arguing that state-owned railroads can safely ignore CEQA. At the same time, the California Attorney General’s Office will also write another brief arguing that they cannot ignore CEQA – this time representing the California Environmental Protection Agency!

It was foreseen from the start that the big money fight over high-speed rail would horn its way into this case. The State Supreme Court only agreed to the Friends’ of the Eel’s appeal because of contrary appellate-level rulings. In the NCRA case, an appellate court ruled that state railroads trumped state law; in the high-speed rail case, an appellate court held that state law trumped state railroads. So now the two cases are linked, and the California High Speed Rail project may sink or swim depending on how well the NCRA presents its case in court. God help it!

(Courtesy, LostCoastOutpost.com)

WE'RE EVEN BIG IN LA!

Marshall Newman writes: Talk about appropriation in the name of marketing! I'd guess it has no association with Mendocino except the name! I’d guess the organization has no association with Mendocino (according to its website, it is “paying tribute,” but it might be best to check before making accusations.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/sandwich-665847-mendocino-farms.html

SLUSH BONDS

Editor:

Denis Rouse says that I need remedial help with my reading. I don't think so. There was nothing in his article that restricted the definition of "bonds" to those financing "roughly 4 trillion dollars of education and public services." He may be implying now that he and his bond-trader friend only deal in bonds issued by the Kids 'n' Dogs Fund, and that they would never invest in bonds issued by the Rape 'n' Ruin Fund, even if the latter pay better. As to these Kids 'n' Dogs Fund bonds relieving the taxpayer, Mr. Rouse is clearly lost in Outer Space. Everyone on Earth knows that these bonds are repayed by taxes. And given the long-term life of these bonds, investors make a tremendous killing in interest, monies also paid by the taxpayers, monies that could have been but now will not be applied to helping out the Kids 'n' Dogs directly. Not only that, but miracle of miracles, income from many of these bonds is exempt from further taxation. What a great deal for the investor class! The main reason these bonds exist in the first place is that our totally and irreparably corrupt government, wholly owned by the rich, is much happier financing things by borrowing money from rich people rather than taxing them for it. I thought this was elementary, but I see it will not be apparent to all, until the final victory, as some have it.

Back at Port Ludlow, Mr. Rouse and his friend are still stamping their feet over the butt-ugly clearcut. No, Mr. Rouse, I did not fail to read clearly that the land in question was "granted to remain in perpetuity in its natural state…by the developer." I know what it sounds like it means, and what it easily may not mean at all. The persons who need remedial reading here are those who accepted at face value whatever smiley face assertions that were promised by the developer. Mr. Rouse's friend and his neighbors may benefit from some remedial readings of their deeds under strict interpretation of the law of the State of Washington. They will probably find that the developer's escape hatch regarding timber rights was well and cleverly hidden and that they are now out of luck and recourse. I sincerely hope that Mr. Rouse's friend can read a deed and its covenants as closely as he supposedly can read a bond prospectus. I look forward to Mr. Rouse's account of the real gory details that facilitated this alleged swindle.

Yours, Jay Williamson

Santa Rosa

CATCH OF THE DAY, June 11, 2015

CRYSTAL AIKENS, Ukiah. Burglary, receiving stolen property, under influence of controlled substance, conspiracy.

HEATHER BECK, Ukiah. Vehicle theft, receiving stolen property.

JASON BIENVENU, Ukiah. Burglary, ex-felon with firearm, possession of ammo by prohibited person, evasion, resisting, probation revocation.

ANTONIO COLLINS, Fort Bragg. Probation revocation. (Frequent flyer.)

KATHRYN CONTRERAS, Yuba City/Fort Bragg. Domestic battery, resisting, probation revocation.

NICHOLAS HALVORSEN, Fort Bragg. Drunk in public. (Frequent flyer.)

SARAH HEXT, Ukiah. Drunk in public.

ANDRE JONES, Vallejo/Ukiah. Probation revocation.

DONN KELSEY III, Fort Bragg. Possession of controlled substance, probation revocation.

PHILLIP LOPEZ, Ukiah. Parole violation.

SEAN MACLAUGHLIN, Felton/Ukiah. Sexually violent predator failure to register.

ROBERT MASTEN, Potter Valley. Harboring/aiding a wanted felon.

BYRON PETERS, Ukiah. Ex-felon with firearm, loaded firearm in public place.

JAMES RODRIGUEZ JR., San Leandro/Ukiah. Probation revocation.

GIBRAN SLOAN, Willits. Court order violation.

CHAMROEUM SO, Ukiah. Failure to appear.

LARRY WOLFE, Ukiah. Vandalism, evading, resisting, running stop signs, parole violation.

I'M SO LONESOME I COULD CRY

Hear that lonesome whippoorwill

He sounds too blue to fly

The midnight train is whining low

I'm so lonesome I could cry

 

I've never seen a night so long

When time goes crawling by

The moon just went behind the clouds

To hide its face and cry

 

Did you ever see a robin weep

When leaves begin to die

That means he's lost the will to live

I'm so lonesome I could cry

 

The silence of a falling star

Lights up a purple sky

And as I wonder where you are

I'm so lonesome I could cry

— Hank Williams

A READER WRITES: "Your recent comments about Fred LaCour brought back memories of the old Drake High summer league. LaCour played for the St Agnes Youth Center of San Francisco, the only non-Marin team in the league. The team, coached by a Catholic priest, included such Bay Area notables as Tom Meschery, LaRoy Doss, Bobby Dole of St. Mary’s, Gene Womack and others.

There were some good players and good teams but I don’t remember anyone ever giving them a close game. I think they were good enough and deep enough to beat many of the college teams of the day. Incidentally, I heard somewhere that LaCour died in San Quentin Prison."

CONGRESSMAN JARED HUFFMAN today announced an Economic Development Administration grant that will help plan future uses of the old Samoa pulp mill. The $155,000 grant will provide technical assistance to property owner Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District aimed at finding opportunities to reuse the mill’s valuable infrastructure and strengthen the local economy.

“I am optimistic that the pulp mill can be repurposed in a way that provides jobs and protects the environment,” Rep. Huffman said. “It’s vital that the community find ways to take advantage of this important bay property.”

The Samoa pulp mill was built in the 1960s and passed through several owners until it finally closed in 2010. Abandoned on site in inadequate storage tanks was approximately four million gallons of caustic pulping chemicals. The Harbor District acquired the site and worked with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the state to safely ship out the chemicals and dismantle the tanks. The Harbor District is now working with Humboldt County to attract waterfront dependent businesses to the reclaimed site.

“This grant will help the Harbor District protect the infrastructure of the Samoa pulp mill property by attracting appropriate users to the site,” said Harbor District President Richard Marks. “We’re pleased to be working with county on a way forward for this significant asset.”

FORT BRAGG POLICE FORUM

"The Fort Bragg Police Department (FBPD) is requesting the community’s assistance in the preliminary stages of implementing Body Worn Cameras (BWCs).

On Sunday, June 14, at 4:00 pm, FBPD will be hosting an open community forum at the Fort Bragg Police Department. The intent of this forum is to allow the community the chance to provide preliminary input regarding the use of BWCs by their local law enforcement.

The community’s input will then be incorporated into a federal grant proposal submitted by FBPD in an attempt to secure funding assistance for the implementation of BWCs.

This forum will consist of members of the public being allowed to voice their opinions and concerns regarding BWCs. Each speaker will be given three minutes to speak. No questions will be taken at this forum; however FBPD does intend to hold several more forums, including question and answer sessions, prior to BWCs being implemented.

Community members will be heard in an open setting on a first-come-first serve basis.

Questions specifically regarding the forum may be directed to Officer Thomas O’Neal at (707) 961-2800 ext. 167.

The Fort Bragg Police Department apologizes for the short notice regarding this forum, and would like to reassure the public that there will be several more opportunities to discuss the use of BWCs prior to their implementation."

BERNIE SANDERS: On Pushing Hillary to take a Stand

by Susan Page & Bernie Sanders

No one was more surprised than Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders by his strong showing in a Wisconsin Democratic straw poll over the weekend: 41%, just 8 percentage points behind front-runner Hillary Clinton.

The non-binding Wisconsin results and the overflow crowds Sanders has been drawing in Iowa and New Hampshire are signs that there is "a real hunger" for a substantive discussion about Americans' economic anxieties, he says, and pressure on Clinton to declare where she stands.

To be sure, the former secretary of State remains the prohibitive favorite for the Democratic presidential nomination. But Sanders, a self-described Democratic socialist and the longest-serving independent in congressional history, is the competitor gaining the most traction against her, at least for now.

In an interview Tuesday with Capital Download, he sought to use that standing to press a populist agenda and push for changes in the primary debates. The Democratic National Committee has announced six sanctioned debates with rules that bar a candidate who participates in any non-sanctioned ones.

"That position took place without consulting my campaign at all," Sanders said in a worn Capitol Hill townhouse, wedged between a Mexican restaurant and a nail salon, that his campaign recently rented to use in Washington. (The campaign headquarters is in Burlington, Vt.) "I think what we should do is get all of the candidates together and sit down and say, 'OK, what is a rational and fair approach?' "

He proposes more debates -- including in Republican states -- that would be open for Democratic and Republican candidates to participate in together.

Clinton seems unlikely to agree to that idea, but Sanders may have more success in pushing her to back issues that have animated his supporters and fueled activism by the so-called Elizabeth Warren wing of the Democrat Party. Sanders has inherited some of the supporters who unsuccessfully urged the Massachusetts senator to run for president.

"I have been ... leading the opposition to TPP," the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal being negotiated, he said. "Hillary Clinton has had nothing to say. She hasn't given us an opinion. And it's hard for me to understand how Secretary Clinton or any candidate can avoid speaking out on what is a huge economic issue. You can be for it; you can be against it, but you've got to have an opinion."

He went on: "I led the effort against the Keystone Pipeline. I don't know that Secretary Clinton has spoken out on this issue. ... I led the effort when I was in the House against the deregulation of Wall Street. ... Where is Secretary Clinton on the issue of breaking up the large financial institutions?"

He declined to give Clinton any advice as she prepares formally to announce her campaign at a New York rally Saturday. "Let me tell you a top secret here: I am not on Hillary Clinton's payroll," he said, adding, "I respect Hillary Clinton. I've known her for 25 years. I shouldn't say this: I like Hillary Clinton."

Sanders, a 73-year-old with a halo of white hair and thick Brooklyn accent, seems to be as amazed as anyone by the reception his unlikely campaign is getting. He indicated he didn't realize Wisconsin Democrats were holding a straw poll until there were news reports about how well he had done in it.

He insists it is possible for him to win the nomination: first, by raising $40 million to $50 million, enough to do well in the opening Iowa caucuses and win the New Hampshire primary. (He notes, "We're just the Connecticut River apart, in Vermont.")

"Then the hope is, if we do well in those two states, and then, you know, become de facto a credible candidate, that a lot more money comes in," he says. "The nature of the beast is that you've got to do well in Iowa or New Hampshire; that's just the truth."

(Courtesy, USA Today)

CONGRESS/ISRAEL V. IRAN

Dear Editor:

As the Nuclear talks move towards the current expiration date there has been some new events that have impacted the negotiations. Russia is selling 3-300 missiles to Iran. If as expected they are a 3-300 PMU1 system that has a range of almost 100 miles and can fire at multiple targets. It can shoot down aircraft as high as 90,000 feet. Its satellites can track aerial targets up to 150 miles away. These missiles should provide protection for Iran's nuclear facilities from aerial attacks.

In addition, the breaking story about alleged suspected espionage of the recent talks by P5+1, the nations of the US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany, across the table from Iran by Israel, if true, could have serious consequences in the direction of the talks. It should be noted that China and Iran have agreed that when sanctions are lifted Iran will begin shipping oil to China. China to resolve their critical pollution problem will have to switch from coal to oil. Public opinion in Iran appears to have turned to reaching an agreement that will remove the sanctions. The biggest hurdle to an agreement now appears to be interference from Congress which frequently acts as running dogs for the Israeli lobby.

In peace and love,

Jim Updegraff, Sacramento

PAPER CRAFT

Mendocino County Library, Ukiah Branch presents Paper Craft: a Maker Space — Friday June 26^th, 3 pm-4:30 pm

On Friday, June 26^th, from 3 pm to 4:30 pm, the Mendocino County Library, Ukiah Branch is hosting “Paper Craft: a Maker Space”.

We have two paper craft activities to share. You can learn how to cut, twist and glue paper into pretty roses and how to make a blinking Cyclops eye. Come and enjoy a summer afternoon crafting at the Ukiah Library. Suitable for all ages. All children 12 and under must have an adult in attendance with them.

THIS IS THE ONLY LETTER on the subject that the London Review of Books published in the issue immediately after the one with Seymour Hersh's article about the killing of Osama bin Laden:

Letters (June 4, 2015)

The allegations in Seymour M. Hersh’s article about the killing of bin Laden have received official denials and journalistic gasps similar to those that greeted his 1974 reporting on the CIA’s MH-CHAOS domestic spying program and the revelations in his 1983 book The Price of Power about Henry Kissinger’s masterminding of the carpet-bombing of Cambodia and hiding it from the US Congress (LRB, 21 May). I suppose that’s no surprise. I’m curious to see whether the embarrassing admissions that followed and confirmed those stories arrive too. In the meantime the CIA has put out a variety of documents including a list of the books on bin Laden’s shelves. It turns out he preferred Bob Woodward to Seymour Hersh.

Colin Leonard, London

LISTEN UP, STU

Dear Mr. Stuart Campbell

President MCPB Board of Directors:

I have spent the last day reading and re-reading your emails. I am always surprised how you can interpret MCPB's bylaws to be exclusionary, and how John Coate, our Executive Director and General Manager, can interpret our bylaws to serve himself in a way that can only be described as self-dealing.

After reviewing the issue with counsel and media industry experts, I must reassert that the intention of our bylaws makes it crystal clear that a board director should represent each of the five districts.

Your using the phrase "at the time of the election" to justify replacing the Third District seat with someone outside that district is an interpretation that would not pass the reasonable person test in court, if this issue should ever get to court.

You open the door to a legal liability.

California Corporate Code for nonprofit public benefit corporations states that articles or bylaws should contain a provision that requires the presence of one or more specified directors in order to constitute a quorum and to transact business. This requirement may be in addition to the general quorum requirements contained in the bylaws or articles. This may be useful to nonprofit corporations whose directors represent various constituencies and wish to ensure those constituencies are represented when the board takes action.

I emphasize that the last sentence of this section of the code intends that all constituencies — in the example of MCPB, all five districts — be fairly represented.

The code further guides us that In exercising our fiduciary duties, directors may rely on information prepared or presented by advisory committees composed of certain non-directors. AB 1233 widens the group of committees that a director may rely on in discharging his or her fiduciary duties. A director may now rely on information prepared or presented by advisory committees, so long as they are composed of people with relevant professional expertise (e.g., attorneys, accountants, public media experts).

Practically, this eliminates one facet of liability concern for directors and enables nonprofit corporations to have more diverse and competent advisory committees, especially when certain technical expertise may be necessary or desired (e.g., board governance, audit and compensation committees).

Volunteer directors and officers are immune from negligence lawsuits only if the nonprofit corporation’s insurance policy covers the type of claim made against these persons, and if directors are acting in good faith and in the best interests of all the members of the corporation.

However, this immunity applies only if (i) the claim can also be made directly against the corporation, (ii) the corporation maintains a liability insurance policy that covers the claim, and (iii) the policy is found to cover the damages.

Therefore, I strongly recommend that the board forms an advisory committee composed of non-directors who will advise the board on how to fill the board vacancy while ensuring that all five districts are fairly represented.

Please keep in mind, Stuart, that riding roughshod over the membership — those 37 per cent and 32 per cent, respectively, that voted for reform candidates, Doug McKenty and Dennis O'Brien, in the last election — could have dire consequences. In addition to a potential lawsuit, the code says that any holder or holders of an aggregate of 5 percent or more of the total number of members who have the right to vote for that director filling the vacancy created by Ms. Futcher's resignation, may call a special meeting of the membership.

It can get worse.

The Mendocino County Superior Court shall, upon application of 5 percent of members, summarily order a special meeting of members, to be held to elect the entire board. You read correctly, Stuart. The judge can dissolve the entire board, and order new elections, including that election to fill the vacancy.

The hearing on any application filed pursuant to this subdivision of the code shall be held on not less than 10 business days notice to the
MCPB.

If MCPB intends to oppose the application, it shall file with the court a notice of opposition not later than five business days prior to the date set for the hearing.

The application and any notice of opposition shall be supported by appropriate affidavits and the court's determination shall be made on the basis of the papers in the record; but, for good cause shown, the court may receive and consider at the hearing additional evidence, oral or
documentary, and additional points and authorities.

The hearing shall take precedence over all other matters not of a similar nature pending on the date set for the hearing.

MCPB's public relations — already bad — will get worse in such a scenario. No doubt, too, the FCC and CPB will take notice. I would think the California Secretary of State would also be interested in this public relations disaster.

I repeat: I strongly advise that an advisory committee of non—directors who are lawyers or other experts advise the MCPB board on how to fill the board vacancy to ensure that all five districts are fairly represented. Either form this advisory committee or hold an election, Stuart.

I am exercising my fiduciary duty as a director in so making this recommendation.

John Sakowicz

MCPB Board Director (2013-2016), Board Treasurer (2014)