Mendocino County Today: Sunday, Aug 30, 2015

• Technical Difficulties
• Odd Exchange
• FB Earthquakes
• Janice Owings
• FB Quarterback
• Tom McBride
• Ukiah Dental
• Mendo Bistro
• Hippie Pope
• Football Practice
• Marijuana Bills
• Vulgar American
• AVHS Reunion
• Facebook Friend
• FB College
• Yesterday's Catch
• Tunnels Permits
• Guan Yin
• Ukiah Artwalk

APOLOGIES FOR OUR WEBSITE BLACKOUT. The server apparently went kaput sometime last night. Now that the ones and zeros seem to be flowing again, we're hoping to continue with business-as-usual, digital gods willing.

THE MOST TANTALIZING item from the August 18th Supervisors meeting was an odd exchange between Supervisor Tom Woodhouse and Board Chair Carre Brown about the Board’s responses to Grand Jury reports. It was odd to see them fall all over themselves to set up a special committee to prepare the Board’s own response to the Grand Jury’s complaint that the Library Director be paid out of General Funds instead of the Library’s 1/8th cent sales tax increment.

COMPARE this intense level of interest in a minor dispute to the Board’s bland dismissal of the Grand Jury’s much more consequential report about the many deficiencies of Children's Services. After Supervisors McCowen and Gjerde excitedly volunteered to be on the special committee to negotiate and respond to the Grand Jury’s library report we heard this weird exchange:

Brown (to Supervisor McCowen): “Sorry Supervisor [McCowen] your yellow pen was sitting on your yellow paper and they both have black print.”

McCowen: “Color coordination. — Well! I’d like to serve on that [Library] ad hoc as well if the board approves, you know, I’m willing to devote the time to it, so…”

Brown: “Ok.”

Woodhouse: “Madam Ch…”

Brown: (chuckles, as if, Oh no, not another comment): “Supervisor Woodhouse.”

Woodhouse: “I know we want to be quick but I have something to say.”

(In fact they have no desire “to be quick” as every Board meeting proves time and time again — unless it’s even a hint of negativity; then they do get kinda quick.)

Brown: “No, it’s ok.”

Woodhouse: “I’m very happy that the volunteers have stepped forward to sit on this. I want to say something about the grand jury report in general. At the last meeting I stated that we needed to be more open to criticism and think of it as constructive criticism rather than struggling with the library. And as a side comment, I’d like to get this in, that, I try to do that in my life. I was— I got a letter from our board chair regarding my communication with staff and it tried to give me constructive criticism and it certainly— I’m not used to getting criticism…”

Brown (interrupting): “Supervisor?”

Woodhouse: “I just want to finish. If I may. But I want to thank you for that and it’s just an example of how we need to be able to take criticism, even on emotional issues, and I appreciate the input.”

Brown: “Well, it should be on the agenda item before us.”

Woodhouse: “This is just a comment from—”

Brown: “Ok.”

Woodhouse: “…that I’m making.”

Brown: “…on the item. All righty.”

(Brown then immediately went to “public input.”

* * *

We weren’t the only ones who noticed this odd exchange. In this week’s Willits Weekly, their long-time Supes reporter Mike A’Dair addressed it in a short piece titled “Board chair urges Woodhouse not to talk to county employees.” In it, Woodhouse tells A’Dair that the letter he got from Brown contained “pushback there about me talking to employees too much. Being the new supervisor, a lot of employees come to me with problems. I find them all to be very kind. They’re not angry, they’re not bitter They just want to make things better. It’s not about doing an audit or having this firm come in to do a study. The answer to the problem we are having with our employees is standing right in front of us. It’s the employees. All we have to do is listen to them. The strange thing to me is the consistency about it. They all described the same thing. They feel like speaking out is not something the County leadership wants to hear. They are all concerned about — well, I don’t want to use the word retribution, so I’ll just say they are concerned about paying a pprice for coming forward and being honest. I feel strongly these people all want the best thing for our County. They are kind people. They are good people.”

In fact, “retribution” is exactly the word the grand jury used when explaining the “poor morale” in Family and Children’s services:

“When asked why morale was so poor, every interviewee listed among the factors the perception that Management had received back their 10% pay cuts, whereas staff had not. HHS Management has not received back their 10% pay cut. Further, the 10% pay cut has been made permanent. Several interviewees stated that they considered the recent raises given upper County Management as a slap in the face. FCS currently works a four-day work week. In an attempt to address client access concerns, a proposal was made by users of FCS services to return to a five-day work week. During discussion of returning to a five-day work week in a Board of Supervisors meeting, there was anecdotal evidence offered that, because of the 10% pay cut, some staff have taken second jobs.

Other factors affecting morale include:

loss of collegiality

loss of the leadership team consultation

abrupt personnel changes

lack of adequate staff

lack of adequate equipment

lack of respect for experience and dedication

fear of retribution”

* * *

Supervisor Brown confirmed to A’Dair that she indeed did send Woodhouse “a confidential communication regarding personnel matters,” but declined to elaborate further. “Although some people do not respect confidential communications, I do, and I can’t discuss it,” Brown told A’Dair. “Everyone has a right to privacy in California regarding personnel matters, and I am respecting that right by maintaining confidentiality in this matter.”

But Supervisor Woodhouse is not “personnel.” He’s an independently elected Supervisor who, obviously, does not work for Ms. Brown. And Brown invoking “confidentiality” as an excuse to avoid the issue is comparable to the Children’s Services staff invoking “confidentiality” and “protection of the children” to cover their own errors and failures. In fact, email communications between Supervisors regarding County business are subject to the California Public Records Act and we are considering making such a request.

* * *

SO WHAT DO WE MAKE OF THIS?

Simple: Woodhouse probably asked a question (or some questions) of staff which CEO Carmel Angelo didn’t want asked unless it went through her. (Everyone on the Board is afraid of offending Ms. Angelo, and Ms. Brown obviously is going to make sure Ms. Angelo isn’t offended. Any day now, the Supervisors will start calling CEO Angelo ‘Mommy’ in public session.) Brown probably sent a note to Woodhouse — who continues to express legitimate if mild interest in various aspects of the Health and Human Services Agency — the subject of complaints from the Grand Jury and even First 5 Mendocino regarding children's services — Ms. Angelo’s pet department. And School Marm/Board Chair Brown is going to make sure that not only is CEO Angelo in complete control, but that Supervisors will be quickly rebuked and reined in if they try to go around her. And Supervisor Woodhouse is clearly prepared to take it like a man as “constructive criticism,” and not offend Ms. Angelo.

TWO SMALLISH EARTHQUAKES rattled teacups early this morning from Fort Bragg to Mendocino.

The first, a magnitude-3.6, struck at 1:13am and was centered 11 miles northeast of Fort Bragg, the US Geological Survey reported.

The second quake, a magnitude-3.0, occurred a half-minute later in the same area.

No damage reported.

A FORT BRAGG READER WRITES of the late Janice Owings that "she was the best example or could have served as "poster child" for people who are unable or unwilling to care for themselves. Her gait through town was a daily spectacle. Her dress or state of undress was another spectacle. Her state of drunkenness was so far out there. Yet, we observed from the sidelines. And yes, after looking closely at her picture last night, she must have an interesting story. She might have tried to call for help, but couldn't or the phone might not have worked. There is a story for sure. I will inquire.”

ACCORDING to this week’s Fort Bragg Advocate: The ambulance was called to the Boatyard Shopping Center for a medical aid request. According to Greg Van Patten, Mendocino County Sheriff's Office public information officer; when it arrived, ambulance personnel found Janice Ownings [sic, it’s Owings], 67, of Fort Bragg, on the ground next to a pay phone. Life saving efforts were unsuccessful, Van Patten said. The cause of death is pending while awaiting blood alcohol and toxicology analysis reports.”

FORT BRAGG HIGH SCHOOL has a red hot quarterback in Kaylor Sullivan.

Friday night, Sullivan, a senior, and FB's all-time passing leader, threw for 480 yards and a bunch of touchdowns in a lopsided rout of overmatched South Fork High School.

TOM MCBRIDE, KMUD FOUNDER

Tom McBride passed away peacefully just before midnight on August 12th at his home in Eureka, California. A renaissance man by trade, Tom was many things to many people, among them; father, partner, quiet mover and shaker, as well as general steward of human integrity and goodwill.

Tom burned very brightly for many years and fittingly, with the Perseid meteor shower flying high overhead, made a final exit. He was well loved and will be remembered warmly. Finally unchained from a body racked by Parkinson’s disease, he is now free to travel with us wherever we go.

Please think of him often, and as you do, direct your efforts toward the maintenance of our wonderful, flawed species. His eyes will twinkle to see it done.

Tom is survived by his loving wife Susan, his children Erin, Sean, and Darcy, his three sisters April, Rene, and Mary, as well as four grandchildren and a great grandson. A memorial will be held September 26th from 3-6 PM in Williams Grove on the Avenue of the Giants. Please bring food and drink to share and come celebrate Tom’s life in a place of concomitant magic!

A UKIAH READER ASKS: Have you heard anything about the dental clinic at Ukiah's Hillside clinic? No more coverage or services for Medi-Cal or CMSP citizens. No suggestions for where people should go or what they should do. I think kids can still get appointments. But no dental services for poor adults. Even DSS (or whatever Social Services is called now) had no idea they weren't taking patients as recently as last week. No explanations, no nada. More toothless wonders shopping at Walmart…"

FORT BRAGG RESTAURANT for $100 plus 250 words.

Wanted: restaurateur with writing skills to take ownership of Mendo Bistro and its sister bar, Barbelow, in Fort Bragg. Price: 250 words and $100.

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/4402508-181/popular-mendocino-coast-restaurant-to

LONG TIME COMING, LONG TIME GONE

by Jeffrey St. Clair

Puyé Cliff dwellings, Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico.

* * *

On the day Pope Francis released his encyclical on the fate of the Earth, I was struggling to climb a near vertical cliff on the Parajito Plateau of northern New Mexico. My fingers gripped tightly to handholds notched into the rocks hundreds of years ago by Ancestral Puebloans, the anodyne phrase now used by modern anthropologists to describe the people once known as the Anasazi. The day was a scorcher and the volcanic rocks were so hot they blistered my hands and knees. Even my guide, Elijah, a young member of the Santa Clara Pueblo, confessed that the heat radiating off the basalt had made him feel faint, although perhaps he was simply trying to make me feel less like a weather wimp.

When we finally hurled ourselves over the rimrock to the top of the little mesa, the ruins of the old city of Puyé spread before us. Amid purple blooms of cholla cactus, piñon pines and sagebrush, two watchtowers rose above the narrow spine of the mesa top, guarding the crumbling walls of houses that once sheltered more than 1,500 people. I was immediately struck by the defensive nature of the site: an acropolis set high above the corn, squash and bean fields in the valley below; a city fortified against the inevitable outbreaks turbulence and violence unleashed by periods of prolonged scarcity.

The ground sparkled with potsherds, the shattered remnants of exquisitely crafted bowls and jars, all featuring dazzling polychromatic glazes. Some had been used to haul water up the cliffs of the mesa, an arduous and risky daily ordeal that surely would only have been undertaken during a time of extreme environmental and cultural stress. How did the people end up here? Where did they come from? What were they fleeing?

“They came here after the lights went out at Chaco,” Elijah tells me. He’s referring to the great houses of Chaco Canyon, now besieged by big oil. Chaco, the imperial city of the Anasazi, was ruled for four hundred years by a stern hierarchy of astronomer-priests until it was swiftly abandoned around 1250 AD.

“Why did they leave?” I asked.

“Something bad happened, after the waters ran out.” He won’t go any further and I don’t press him.

The ruins of Puyé, now part of the Santa Clara Pueblo, sit in the blue shadow of the Jemez Mountains. A few miles to the north, in the stark labs of Los Alamos, scientists are still at work calculating the dark equations of global destruction down to the last decimal point.

This magnificent complex of towers, multi-story dwellings, plazas, granaries, kivas and cave dwellings was itself abandoned suddenly around 1500. Its Tewa-speaking residents moved off the cliffs and mesas to the flatlands along the Rio Grande ten miles to the east, near the site of the current Santa Clara (St. Clair) Pueblo. A few decades later they would encounter an invading force beyond their worst nightmare: Coronado and his metal-plated conquistadors.

Again, it was a prolonged drought that forced the deeply egalitarian people of Puyé — the place where the rabbits gather — from their mesa-top fortress. “The elders say that the people knew it was time to move when they saw the black bears leaving the canyon,” Elijah told me.

Elijah is a descendent of one of the great heroes of Santa Clara Pueblo: Domingo Naranjo, a leader of the one true American Revolution, the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, which drove the Spanish out of New Mexico. Naranjo was half-Tewa and half-black, the son of an escaped slave of the Spanish. That glorious rebellion largely targeted the brutal policies of the Franciscan missionaries, who had tortured, enslaved and butchered the native people of the Rio Grande Valley for nearly 100 years. As the Spanish friars fled, Naranjo supervised the razing of the Church the Franciscans had erected — using slave labor – in the plaza of Santa Clara Pueblo.

Now the hope of the world may reside in the persuasive powers of a Franciscan, the Hippie Pope, whose Druidic encyclical, Laudato Si’, reads like a tract from the Deep Ecology movement of the 1980s, only more lucidly and urgently written. Pope Francis depicts the ecological commons of the planet being sacrificed for a “throwaway culture” that is driven by a deranged economic system whose only goal is “quick and easy profit.” As the supreme baptizer, Francis places a special emphasis on the planet’s imperiled waters, both the dwindling reserves of freshwater and the inexorable rise of acidic oceans, heading like a slow-motion tsunami toward a coast near you.

Climate change has gone metastatic and we are all weather wimps under the new dispensation. Consider that Hell on Earth: Phoenix, Arizona, a city whose water greed has breached any rational limit. Its 1.5 million residents, neatly arranged in spiraling cul-de-sacs, meekly await a reckoning with the Great Thirst, as if Dante himself had supervised the zoning plans. The Phoenix of the future seems destined to resemble the ruins of Chaco, with crappier architecture.

I am writing this column in the basement of our house in Oregon City, which offers only slight relief from the oppressive heat outside. The temperature has topped 100 degrees again. It hasn’t rained in 40 days and 40 nights. We are reaching the end of something. Perhaps it has already occurred. Even non-believers are left to heed the warnings of the Pope and follow the example of the bears of the Jemez.

Yet now there is no hidden refuge to move toward. There is only a final movement left to build, a global rebellion against the forces of greed and extinction. One way or another, it will either be a long time coming or a long time gone.

(Jeffrey St. Clair is editor of CounterPunch. His new book is Killing Trayvons: an Anthology of American Violence (with JoAnn Wypijewski and Kevin Alexander Gray). He can be reached at: sitka@comcast.net. Courtesy, CounterPunch.org)

CHELSEA GOES TO FOOTBALL PRACTICE

On 08-26-2015 at 6:55pm two off-duty Humboldt County Sheriff Deputies were at McKinleyville High School watching a youth football practice. Both deputies were wearing civilian attire. There were approximately 50-60 kids on the football field practicing football with about 15 parents and coaches watching the practice.

At this time the off-duty deputies saw and heard a female subject repeatedly yelling obscenities and waving her arms in the air walking towards the football field. The subject was not associated with the football practice. The two off-duty deputies could hear another female yelling “Chelsea stop! Calm down!” The female yelling appeared to be emotionally disturbed and appeared to be getting more aggressive in her posture.

At this time many of the parents knew the off-duty deputies worked for the Sheriff’s Office and were looking at them for assistance in the increasingly volatile situation. The off-duty deputies then walked over to the female subject, who they later identified as 21-year old Chelsea Delia-Star Carlson from McKinleyville.

The deputies attempted to calm down Carlson by talking to her and explained to her that they were off-duty deputies. Carlson calmed down for a few seconds then started again with her unstable behavior. The deputies attempted to convince Carlson to simply leave the football field, but she refused. Carlson then started screaming again. The deputies could detect a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on her person. Carlson’s speech was slurred and she was unsteady on her feet. The deputies determined Carlson was intoxicated to a point she was a danger to herself and others.

The deputies then attempted to place Carlson under arrest for public intoxication. When they attempted to place Carlson under arrest she lunged towards the deputies and attempted to punch one of the deputies with her hands. The deputy was able to deflect her fists. The deputy then grabbed Carlson and placed her into a “bear hug” to avoid being assaulted further by Carlson.

Carlson continued trying to kick the deputy so he placed her onto the ground to avoid being injured by Carlson. Carlson was able to scratch the deputy’s arm with her fingernails when he was attempting to control her. The entire time Carlson was yelling and screaming obscenities. When Carlson was on the ground she still was attempting to kick and hit the deputy.

A large group of people not associated with the football practice game were attempting to get involved and interfere in the altercation. The second off-duty deputy was able to keep the other people away from the altercation by repeating numerous times they were police officers. It was a very tense situation for several minutes trying to keep the other subjects away.

On duty Humboldt County Sheriff Deputies responded to the scene along with the California Highway Patrol Officers and Arcata Police Department Officers to help calm the situation. When the other officers arrived on scene they were able to calm down the situation of the crowd.

The off-duty deputy received abrasions to the outer side of his forearms and elbow and abrasions to his face. The Deputy also injured his knee during this incident with Carlson.

Carlson was placed under arrest for assault and battery, resisting arrest, disturbing the peace and public intoxication. Carlson was transported to the Humboldt County Correctional Facility. Carlson was released from custody when she became sober. Carlson was then given a court date to appear in Superior Court for the above listed charges.

Anyone with information for the Sheriff’s Office regarding this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Sheriff’s Office at 707-445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at 707-268-2539.

Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office press release

MARIJUANA BILLS GUTTED & ADVANCED IN STATE LEGISLATURE

by Ryan Burns

There were three medical marijuana-related bills wending their way through the California Legislature this term, and in a strange last-minute maneuver yesterday, just before the end-of-day deadline for deciding which bills will be taken up before the end of the legislative season, the content of those bills was deleted. Each of the bills was then given placeholder language saying, “It is the intention of the state legislature to regulate medical marijuana.”

The upshot of this is that the stakeholders from those three separate bills will now sit down with people from Governor Jerry Brown’s office to craft language for a unified bill in hopes of getting it passed in the Senate by Sept. 7. Those stakeholders include our state senator, Mike McGuire, who authored SB 643, and and our state assemblymember, Jim Wood, who authored AB 243. The third bill was AB 266, co-authored by four different assembly members.

SB 643 and AB 266 both aimed to establish complete statewide regulatory control over the medical marijuana industry, now in its 20th year here in California. Wood’s bill, meanwhile, was geared toward watershed protection on the cultivation end of the market and included an excise tax proposal.

Paul Ramey, a staffer in Wood’s Sacramento office, said the three bills overlapped and contradicted in some places. And, importantly, the governor’s office has begun to engage in the process. “What specific policies [the governor’s office is] interested in we’re waiting to see,” Ramey said. “But the fact that they’re ready to come to the table, we’re taking it as a good sign for something to get done this year.”

Wood himself had this to say about the latest developments:

“Almost 20 years since the passage of Proposition 215 the Legislature and the Governor are very close to consensus on regulating medical marijuana. There are still a lot of moving parts. As we move into the final days of the legislative session, I am working closely with the Administration to finalize the components of AB 243 so we can ensure this important legislation will be enacted. AB 243 provides a critical component in the overall regulation of the cannabis industry by creating a funding source to address the environmental devastation that is occurring in our forests and watersheds.”

The East Bay Express reports that they’ve had a look at draft language from the governor’s office. Here’s part of what’s in it, according to the report:

“Farms are capped at one acre, or 20,000 square-feet. Deliveries would be allowed, but only if tied to a physical dispensary. Farmers could process or extract, but can’t retail pot. Retailers could extract or process their own products, but couldn’t own the farm. Transporters would be separately licensed and independent.”

The Outpost will continue to track this bill through next week and report on its fate.

(Courtesy, LostCoastOutpost.com)

BOONVILLE COMES HOME! AVHS Class Reunion Update - August 29 - (3) Weeks From Today! Three weeks from today!

Thanks to all who have responded to the invitation to date... if you have not yet, please do so at your earliest convenience to assist us with the food preparation ~

(https://www.facebook.com/events/954648764598484/).

It's nice to see a number of you are traveling such great distances to share in this special day for Anderson Valley High alumni!

See you on September 19!

Our next all-classes reunion is now only one month away! I'm being told many of the valley bed & breakfasts and resorts are already full, so for those of you who will hopefully spend the weekend, here are a number of hotel accommodations in Ukiah via the Internet: http://www.tripadvisor.com/SmartDeals-g33203-Ukiah_California-Hotel-Deals.html

For anyone who may be flying in for the reunion, the Sacramento International Airport (http://www.sacramento.aero/m/) is very convenient and has easy access to reach both Ukiah and Boonville. Upon leaving the airport, it's a one hour drive north on I-5 to Williams, CA and highway 20, then an additional 1.5 hours west to Ukiah.

And just a reminder, for those of you on Facebook, there is a page dedicated to Anderson Valley (http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/183035555097749/) and many of the reunion festivities are posted and updated here. We are expecting an even bigger crowd than we had for the 2012 reunion.

Also, if we have left anyone off of the initial email list above, it is simply because we do not have their address. If you have it, please pass it on to us, or forward this email to them, as our goal is to reach as many classmates as we can. We are also hoping to capture many of those who attended school with us other the years, yet did not graduate with our class. We have also posted information on the reunion to the Memory Lane / Classmates Internet site:

http://www.classmates.com/places/school/Anderson-Valley-High-School/22213?startYear=1971&endYear=1974&miscj=CMHeader&

The response thus far has been overwhelming, with so many reaching out to us when they heard the reunion news. We hope this finds all of you well and sincerely hope you will be able to join us on September 19!

Marti Tucker Titus

marti@mctitus.com

(707)-895-3424

Jimmy Short

JSAnnMargretFan@aol.com

(916)-419-9975

* * *

Hello AVHS Alumni !

We are now less than 2 months away from our next all-classes reunion for Anderson Valley High! The date will be Saturday, September 19, the Saturday of the Mendocino County Fair - (https://www.facebook.com/boonvillefair).

Our reunion chairperson is Sheri Mathias Hansen, with Marti Tucker Titus and myself (Jimmy Short) assisting. The reunion will be held at the Anderson Valley Senior Center, formerly the Veteran's Hall, in downtown Boonville. Due to the 2012 reunion being so successful (250+ attended), we gave everyone a full year-in-advance notice, and now we are down to less than 2 months. Much help will be needed so please feel free to reach out if you can assist us. Also, please help us out by forwarding this to anyone you may know who is not on this email list to ensure ALL alumni are invited. Let the good times roll!

Sheri Mathias Hansen
sheri@rancheriarealty.com

Marti Tucker Titus
marti@mctitus.com

Jimmy Short
JSAnnMargretFan@aol.com

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

I didn’t even know her when she first sent me a Face Book friend request other that seeing her occasional posts on a public group that we both frequented. But that changed over the last 15 months. I learned that ‘she had to start living life for herself’ and that she was filing for a divorce from her husband. I learned that she had moved in with her mom and spouse and that she had landed a job at a bagel store. I learned that she didn’t make much money and she was always going on about how she needed a roommate in order to afford an apartment. But cost didn’t deter her from commissioning a tattoo artist to place a ‘black rose’ in a very revealing locale just north of Nipple Land which she immediately and proudly displayed on FB. I also learned that her husband was not taking the divorce very well and had threatened suicide. Meanwhile, amidst all of this potential turmoil, she made no bones about how she couldn’t wait to get her fair share of the house sale proceeds (and yes, Hubby was the sole bread-winner during their marriage).

I learned a couple of weeks ago that her husband had died. I never inquired as to why or how because I had made a point of ignoring her personal message requests which, to be quite frank, were not just a few.

For a few days after the death she posted platitude after platitude both personal and also from the typical generic sources. “RIP Bill; you were a great father to our children!” was just one of the back-handed comments she left.

A day after the funeral–yes, she posted the funeral info on FB too–she headed back up to her old home which had not yet sold and started posting uplifting dance music from the 70’s on her FB timeline. Clearly, her week of grieving was over and it was time to start grooving again.

Today I learned that she and her daughter were returning back to her mom’s house but not before the both of them stopped off at a tattoo shop for some more “body art” which once again was posted on FB. (I wondered to myself if some of the deceased hubby’s cash was paying for the tattoos.)

I also learned something about myself I suppose. I learned that I felt absolutely no remorse in not sending her a condolence message. Something about that glint of anticipatory greed from future house sale proceeds lurking behind black garments of masquerading grief was just too much falsity for me to stomach, hence my silence.

When I think of her a hyena comes to mind, yelping with pleasure in new beds and with new strangers.

Boiled down, I iced that contemptible bitch and will continue to do so. And yet, I will probably continue to read her saga. I suppose I am a sucker for the ridiculous spectacle of a nearly 60 yr old woman trying to recapture earlier days perhaps never really lived. In fact, she has already informed her FB friends–in so many words– that next year she will not be inconvenienced by tragedy, and Sturgis, South Dakota, here she comes.

SUPPORT OUR COLLEGE: TAKE A COURSE!

We asked to keep our college here on the Coast.

We begged Mendocino College to come.

Let's support them. Sign up for a class.

Here are Mendocino College's Fall 2015 classes in Fort Bragg.

<http://www.mendocino.edu/sites/default/files/fall_2015_class_listing_low_res.pdf>

See page 31.

Mark Your Calendars: On Friday, September 11, 10 am-4pm, Mendocino College will be in Fort Bragg with a full support staff: Admission, Registration, Testing, Financial Aid, Counseling.

Fall Classes begin Monday, September 14.

Hope to see you there.

Norma Watkins <watkins.norma@gmail.com>

CATCH OF THE DAY, August 29, 2015

JUDAH BOLSTER, UKIAH. DUI, resisting.

AMANITA BRAZIEL, Ukiah. Suspended license, probation revocation.

BERNABE FLORES, Ukiah. Possession of controlled substance, probation revocation.

LLOYD GANN, Leggett. Assault with machine gun, assault weapon or .50 caliber rifle on peace officer or firefighter, vandalism, court order violation.

JOSE GARCIA, Ukiah. Drunk in public, probation revocation.

WILLIAM KING, Fort Bragg. Shoplifting, drunk in public. (Frequent flyer.)

FRANKLIN LUNNEY, Phoenix, Arizona/Willits. Pot sale, transport, furnish.

CHARLENE MARTINEZ, Ukiah. Burglary, possession of controlled substance and paraphernalia.

SHI MARTINEZ, Fort Bragg. Domestic assault, probation revocation.

FRANCISCO OLIVARES, Hopland. Drunk in public.

LEVI SERATT, Ukiah. Driving on DUI-suspended license.

PHILIP VANORDEN, Ukiah. Resisting, probation revocation.

JAMES WELLS IV, Fort Bragg. Under influence of controlled substance.

JOSEPH YANNACCI, Sidney, Nebraska/Ukiah. Drunk in public, resisting.

STATE, FEDS FORGE AHEAD WITH TUNNELS PERMITS BEFORE PUBLIC COMMENT COMPLETED

by Dan Bacher

The new name that the state and federal governments have given to the former Bay Delta Conservation Plan to build Governor Jerry Brown's massive Delta tunnels is the "California Water Fix" - and it appears that "the fix is in" on this plan, judging from the latest developments.

Even though the public comment period for the environmental impact report for the Delta tunnels plan won’t end until October 30, the Department of Water Resources and US Bureau of Reclamation on August 27 jointly submitted a permit application to began clearing the path for the controversial water diversion project that imperils the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the largest estuary on the West Coast of the Americas.

The petition requests the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB)'s approval to add three points of diversion and rediversion from the Sacramento River to the existing water right permits and existing diversion authorization held by the State Water Project and Central Valley Project.

"This is an important milestone for the project that brings with it additional opportunities for public participation in important regulatory processes related to the federal Clean Water Act and California water rights, including submission of comment and testimony,” according to the announcement from the “California Water Fix."

The permit application is available here: https://s3.amazonaws.com/californiawater/pdfs/n44id_Complete_Final_CA_Water_Fix_WR_Change_Petition.pdf

However, Delta advocates disagreed with the agencies' rosy assessment of this "important milestone," noting that the joint state and federal request to add three additional points of water diversion from the Sacramento River to supply the State Water and Central Valley Projects amounts to “steamrolling ahead” with the project before the EIR process is completed.

Restore the Delta, in a statement, noted that the three intakes would each have a capacity of 3,000 cubic feet per second. “That potential 9,000 cfs is a shocking amount of water exports considering that TODAY, the Sacramento is so dry it occasionally runs backward at Freeport station at high tide,” said Barbarra Barrigan-Parrilla, Executive Director of Restore the Delta.

The group said the exported water would not be allowed to flow through the Delta where it is needed for farming, drinking water, and the protection of endangered species including the Chinook Salmon, the Delta Smelt and the Greater Sandhill Crane. The water would instead be diverted into two 30-mile-long, 40-foot diameter tunnels beneath the Delta directly to the state and federal projects, then conveyed to corporate agribusiness interests irrigating toxic, drainage impaired land on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, and oil companies conducting fracking and extreme extraction methods.

Osha Meserve, a Delta water rights attorney, observed, “This application looks like a rush job, it’s not even filled out completely. The petition just says ‘see EIR’ for much of the basic info. Good luck finding that in the 48,000 pages of cross-referenced material with multiple errata. This application is a real sales pitch and it’s full of holes.”

To show what a badly rushed job the state and federal agencies are doing pushing these permits, even the phone number listed in the Department of Water Resources announcement, "CONTACT US | 866.924.9255," is not working! If you call that number, rather than getting information about the California Water Fix, you will hear an offer for a $100 rebate for purchases at stores such as Walmart and Target!

“It’s astounding these agencies continue to steamroll the tunnels project as if federal permits won’t again be rejected on environmental grounds, or that water district funding won’t dry up when they realize what a boondoggle the tunnels are,” said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla.

She said this petition seeks to permit the construction of the tunnels before the required consideration of the water quality impacts on the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary.

"This permit application, along with the recent documents we revealed showing plans to take hundreds of Delta farms through eminent domain, show these agencies consider the democratic process is just a side show because Governor Jerry Brown and corporate interests in Southern California are demanding action. The process has become profoundly anti-democratic,” concluded Barrigan-Parrilla.

Yes, "the fix is in," the California Water Fix, that is. If the agencies can't even get a phone number right, how can we possibly trust the state and federal governments to build one of the biggest public works projects in California history? And how can we trust them to protect Chinook Salmon, Delta Smelt, Greater Sandhill Cranes and a host of other species from extinction?

Below is the California Water Fix Announcement, with the wrong phone number, 866.924.9255:

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August 27, 2015 DWR and USBR Submit Change Petition to SWRCB

Today the Department of Water Resources submitted a permit application in furtherance of the California WaterFix. This is an important milestone for the project that brings with it additional opportunities for public participation in important regulatory processes related to the federal Clean Water Act and California water rights, including submission of comment and testimony.

Change Petition – submitted to the State Water Resources Control Board

This is a petition for a change to the water rights necessary to allow for the implementation of key components of the California WaterFix, jointly submitted by the Department of Water Resources and the Bureau of Reclamation. The petition requests the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) approval to add points of diversion and rediversion to the existing water right permits (and existing diversion authorization) held by the State Water Project and Central Valley Project. The petition is limited in scope to the change in the point of diversion, and leaves intact all existing places of use, manner of use, other existing points of diversion, quantities of diversion and other water rights terms and conditions identified in Water Rights Decision 1641.

The submittal of the petition starts a public process expected to include a hearing and opportunity for comment by interested parties meeting certain SWRCB requirements. The SWRCB will evaluate the project’s potential to injure legal users of water, ability to meet existing water quality requirements, and an assessment of potential effects on fish and wildlife. The SWRCB will also include within any approval of the petition “appropriate Delta flow criteria” as required by the Delta Reform Act.

The SWRCB’s change petition process and associated hearing for the California WaterFix, and SWRCB eventual decision on the petition, are solely about and limited to the California WaterFix proposal to add additional diversion points on the Sacramento River. For more information about the SWRCB’s process related to California WaterFix, visit http://www.swrcb.ca.gov.

California Natural Resources Agency Contact Us

866.924.9255 | californiawaterfix.com

LEAVE IT TO GUAN YIN

Please know that I am going to D.C. tomorrow...staying for 14 nights at Downtown Washington Hostel on H Street NE, about five blocks east and behind Union Station. Pre-paid to ensure getting a bed continuously in a 4 bed mixed dorm room; costing only $47.42 (average) nightly. Am searching for a suitable rental in the district, both with friends and also alone. We'll see what happens. Am leaving the details up to Water Moon Guan Yin, with her slight smile imparting confidence, and eyes observing the reflection of the moon on water, fully realizing the inherent emptiness of all phenomena.

Craig Louis Stehr
August 29, 2015
Baltimore, Maryland
Email: CraigStehr@inbox.com

SEPTEMBER FIRST FRIDAY ARTWALK

Sept 4, from 5-8 pm in Ukiah

Enjoy one or all of the venues, art, music, and refreshments!

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Ukiah Valley Artist Cooperative Gallery

Watercolorist, Mary Waters Monroe, will be September’s featured artist at the Ukiah Valley Artist Coop in the Pear Tree Center. Mary is often inspired by the beauty here in Mendocino County and the subjects of her paintings reflect that, from wildflowers to the redwoods and oaks that abound in the area. Her theme for this showing is the trees in all their seasons: their leaves, bounty and environments. Music will be provided by Kim Monroe.

The Ukiah Valley Artists Gallery is located at 518 E. Perkins, in the Pear Tree Center.

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Corner Gallery

An artist since childhood Barbara Phelps, works with many different medium and has been teaching Art and Design at Mendocino college since Fall 2009 and loves to witness her students produce exceptional art work. These images were captured in Mendocino, Lake and Napa. She has made additions to emphasize the essence of the moment that she captured it.

Ellen Bouglanger, a self taught oil painter’s, pieces in this exhibit show the transition from her early plein air and studio paintings to her present abstractions depicting what she sees and feels.

The Corner Gallery is located at 201 S. State Street Ukiah, 462-1400 www.cornergalleryukiah.com

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Art Center Ukiah

Artists who create on a small scale will show art work at the Art Center Ukiah's Small Works Juried Art Show exhibit held in September. Local artists' show original work of paintings, mixed media, fiber, sculpture, ceramic and photography. Art works do not exceed 12” x 12”x 12” in size.

Art Center Ukiah, 201 S. State St. 462-1400 www.artcenterukiah.org

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Main Branch Library

Ukiah Library is celebrating September 4^th First with a two jewelry making crafts: shrinky dink pendants and ribbon bracelets. Stephen Winkle will provide music and our delicious snacks are from Mama’s Café. The Friends of the Library’s book sale will be open from 4-8 pm on Friday evening and 10-3:30 on Saturday.

This is the last weekend to see our Summer Color Splash--art quilts by the Mendocino Quilt Artists & the Rag Tag Quilters. We will be making pendants and bracelets at our craft tables.

105 N. Main St. Ukiah CA Contact us for more info: 463-4493

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Wedding/Event Flower Studio

The September Artwalk at W/E Flower studio will feature artist Sulin Bell’s hand painted silk pillows and scarves as well as displays of new exotic flowers presented by Wil Gonzalez, NW Representative and board member of American Institute of Floral Designers. Sulin’s pillows, especially the ones entitled Lovebirds, are romantic and perfect for weddings, engagements, anniversaries and expressions of love. They work perfectly alongside a gift of flowers!

W/E Flowers is located 352, N State St. Ukiah CA 95482, 707-468-8522

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Connect Insurance

Grapevine Quilters Guild is being featured at Connect with a ticket drawing on May 22, 2016 at 3pm during the “Quilts in Bloom” Quilt show at the Redwood Empire Fairgrounds.

304 N State Street

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Paradigm

For summer Ladies Nights, Friday Aug 21st we have Asia Sikkila and her African wares and amazing clothing. She will also be there with her friend Vivian to educate us and demonstrate some really great DoTerra Essential Oils at 6.

312 N. School St in Ukiah

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Grace Hudson Museum

The Grace Hudson Museum is located at 431 South Main Street, Ukiah. 467-2836 www.gracehudsonmuseum.org

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Bona Marketplace

Bona Marketplace, 116 W. Standley St. Ukiah 468-1113

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T.A.P.S. The Arts And Performance Studio

T.A.P.S. is located at 203 S. State Street, Ukiah.

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Arts Council Of Mendocino County

Located at the Ukiah Depot 309 E. Perkins St. Ukiah

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Craftsman Estate & Trading Company

306 N. State St. Ukiah