Mendocino County Today: Thursday, Sep 17, 2015

• Valley Fire Progress
• Fair Weather
• Evacuation Arrests
• HHSA in Candyland
• Yard and Food Waste
• Cannabis Women
• Love Spat
• Boont 72
• Aborted Burglary
• Catch of the Day
• Historical Overthrows
• Brown Not Green
• Egg Farming
• Admonished & Granted

CALFIRE MAKES PROGRESS ON VALLEY FIRE:

AS OF 7:30pm Wednesday night the historically destructive fire had expanded but not quite as fast. Now up to over 70,000 acres — 35% contained, up from 30% 24 hours ago. Evacuation orders were enlarged to:

Evacuation Orders:

Lake County

Mandatory Evacuation Order: Butts Canyon Rd to Napa Co. line, including Berryessa Estates; Cobb; Seigler Canyon; Loch Lomond; Middletown; Point Lakeview to Soda Bay (SR 281); Hidden Valley Lake; All residences on Bottle Rock Rd, from Harrington Flat Rd; All residences on SR 175, Cobb; All residences on SR 29 at SR 53 south to SR 29 at Tubbs Lane.

Napa County

Mandatory Evacuation Order:
 Berryessa Estates; Aetna Springs Rd west of Butts Canyon Rd.

Advisory Evacuation:

Napa County

Pope Valley north of Ink Grade Rd.

Sonoma County

SR 128 at Ida Clayton Rd; Pine Flat Rd ascending addresses from the 11000 block.

3100+ firefighters, 358 engines, 2 airtankers, 15 helicopters, 65 dozers, 70 water tenders.

Report: “Fire behavior was moderated today due to cooler weather and rainy conditions. A chance of rain continues to exist this evening. Rain is assisting firefighter’s efforts on strengthening and constructing additional fire line. Firefighters continue to focus on structural defense and perimeter control.”

* * *

THURSDAY MORNING UPDATE (6:45 am)

Acres Burned - Containment: 73,700 acres - 35% contained

Structures Threatened: 7,650 residential and 150 commercial properties

Structures Destroyed: 585 homes destroyed and hundreds of other structures are known to be destroyed as well

Maps: Calfire - Google

* * *

EVACUEES IN LIMBO

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/4485156-181/people-displaced-by-valley-fire

LAKE COUNTY MAN POSES AS COP

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/4490201-181/deputies-say-man-arrested-in

CADAVER DOGS LOOKING FOR FATALITIES AMID WRECKAGE IN COBB

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/4490073-181/lake-county-sheriff-cadaver-dogs

RAIN DAMPENS REMAINS OF MIDDLETOWN

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/4488224-181/update-eerie-odd-scenes-from

UNPRECEDENTED DAMAGE

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/4490596-181/on-valley-fires-western-front

WAYS TO HELP

http://www.biteclubeats.com/restaurants-to-aid-valleyfire-victims/

MAYBE A THIRD of an inch of rain fell on the Redwood Empire Wednesday, enough to sweeten the air and bringing a most welcome cooling to the firefighters battling the 70,000-plus-acre inferno that has done terrible damage to Lake County.

TEMPERATURES will be back in the high 80s to low 90s by the weekend.

ON MONDAY, September 14, 2015 Mendocino County Sheriff's Deputies were assisting the Lake County Sheriff's Office with the Valley Fire, by patrolling the community of Cobb. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office has been providing mutual aid to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office to assist in emergency evacuations and to help prevent acts of looting from unoccupied structures that survived the Valley Fire. At approximately 4:17 PM two Mendocino County Sheriff's Deputies were flagged down and advised of a suspicious vehicle, a black Honda occupied by four subjects. The vehicle was reported to be in the area of the Hobergs Resort and Spa on Emorford Road. This is one of the evacuated areas where buildings were untouched by the fire. This area is listed as a natural disaster area and closed to public access. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the area and located the reported vehicle driving away from the area. The Deputies activated their emergency lights in the attempt to stop the vehicle to determine why they were in the area. The vehicle did not stop and fled leading the Deputies on a short pursuit which ended on a dead end road near Highway 175 and Forestry Road.

The subjects were ordered out of the vehicle and detained. There were four people in the vehicle, three adults and one 14-year-old juvenile. Two of the adults were identified as being James Dotson (23 years-old from Cobb) and Richard Tillman (27 years-old from Cobb). At the conclusion of the contact, Dotson was booked into the Lake County Jail for vehicular fleeing, child endangerment, and possession of methamphetamine. Tillman (Former resident of Ukiah) was booked into the Lake County Jail on two outstanding no bail arrest warrants for probation violations out of Mendocino County. The remaining adult and the 14-year-old juvenile were released at the scene. For further information and booking photographs regarding the arrests of Dotson and Tillman can be found on the Lake County Sheriff’s Office website.

MEMO OF THE WEEK

(Mandatory Hero Worship: Your Tax Dollar At Work!)

2015 Team HHSA Event

September 17, 2015

United we serve — by staff for staff

Brought to you by: the Reflecting Team/Mendocino County Health and Human Services Agency

12 to 4 PM

Agenda

12-2 p.m. check-in, lunch, game. (Teams to be posted. Vote for winner of trifold during this time.)

2-2:15 p.m. Stacey Cryer, Addressed to Agency

2:15 to 3 p.m. Ron Arkin, customer service presentation

3-3:15 p.m. Team HHSA — group photo

3:15-3:40 p.m. John Martire, Safety and customer service

3:40-4 p.m. Winner of trifold, participants pick

Reminders:

Attendance required unless preapproved by manager for non-attendance

Lunch is provided, however, if you choose to lunch on your own please join the event by 12:30 PM. Spaghetti, salad, rolls and for those who are gluten-free there is a polenta option.

4-5 p.m. Staff mingle or travel back to you Ukiah/Fort Bragg.

Staff who work past 5 PM — work with supervisor to account for time (personal leave, vacation, compensatory time off or finish your day at the office).

Carpooling highly encouraged.

Please bring a lawn/folding chair.

Business casual, dress for weather. (Layers, comfortable shoes, umbrella)

Remember to set your outgoing phone and computer messages.

Raffle prizes will be drawn throughout the day (must be present to win)

Questions? Check with your manager. Brought to you by HHSA Reflecting Team.

The game is laid out like Candyland and played like Clue.

Service areas: The Health and Human Service Agency consists of six service areas: public health, behavioral health and recovery, family and children services, administration, employment and family services and adult and aging services. Each of the six service areas will have an area in the park which consists of a group of tables. On these tables the service area will have trifolds representing the different services offered in the units and programs. For instance, public health will have a table with an animal care services trifold, a trifold for consumer safety, a trifold for emergency services and one for contagious diseases among others.

The game: teams have been randomly created consisting of four staff members from service areas in the agency. You will be informed via e-mail of your team and its membership, your color and your identifying superhero on the week of September 14. At the 2015 Team HHSA event, check-in tables will be color-coded so that each team can easily locate one another and group together. Staff will be provided clues that will direct them to each of the six different service areas to different units and programs. Your first clue will be given to you at the check-in table. You will find your second clue at the trifold of the first answer and so on. The Clues will be color-coded. The clues will also be sealed with a sticker representing a specific superhero. For example, your team's clues are in red envelopes and are sealed with a Hulk sticker. Another team will have red envelopes and a Batman sticker and yet a third will have green envelopes and a Hulk sticker. Making sure you read only your team's clues will be important to other teams being able to complete the game.

The raffle ticket: when moving from one clue to another you will write the unit/program name down on a 3 x 5 card provided to you at check-in. When you have completed the game you'll write your name on the front of the card and deposit the card in a bin located at the exit of the game area which will be clearly marked. This is your raffle ticket.

The contest: a contest will take place after the game is played. You will receive a 3 x 5 voting card in your last envelope of the game. The trifold will be judged for presentation and informational clarity. Staff will be able to walk around the six service areas and to cast their votes. Voting will be accomplished by each trifold being assigned a specific number. Event coordinators will provide the numbers for the trifolds.

The agency executive team would like to give you some information regarding the 2015 Team HHSA all staff event that will occur on Thursday, September 17.

Office closure: Mendocino County Health and Human Services agency will be closed to the public on Thursday, September 17, 2015 from 11 AM to 5 PM except for emergency services.

Who Should Attend: all HHSA staff are required to attend the "Team HHSA 2015" event unless preapproved by your manager for non-attendance.

How should I account for my time: the event is on county time. Fort Bragg in Ukiah offices may close lobbies at 11 AM to allow for finalizing transactions with clients and travel time to Willits. The Willits office may close lobbies at 11:30AM. The event runs from noon until 4 PM. Employees are accountable for their regular hours on this date and should work with their supervisors to account for their time.

Travel: Carpooling is highly encouraged.

Attire: As always, appropriate business casual attire is encouraged for Thursdays. Wear comfortable walking shoes for grass in the park. Weather this time of year can be tricky, think layers and have a sweater/jacket available in case it is cool and since the event is rain or shine, you may want to have a rain hat or umbrella in the car, just in case.

See you there: we look forward to spending time with everyone and shall see you there! Travel safely.

UKIAH MAY BE MIXING YARD, FOOD WASTES BY NOVEMBER

by Justine Fredericksen

Though the discussion of allowing Ukiah residents to add food waste to their yard waste bins has yet to return to the Ukiah City Council’s agenda, Cold Creek Compost owner Martin Mileck said Tuesday that behind the scenes, negotiations are indeed going well and commingled waste for Ukiah may be a reality by Nov. 1.

“I have signed the contracts and am just waiting for the other party to sign them,” said Mileck, adding that he had hoped the contracts would be ready in time for tonight’s meeting of the City Council, but they were not. “We’re just happy to be getting the material, because we built this facility to deal with it.”

Mileck said at least one of the issues that needed to be worked out was the fact that the city’s garbage hauler, C&S Waste Solutions, does business as multiple entities that have separate contracts with the City of Ukiah.

For instance, he said Ukiah Waste Solutions is the company that picks up the waste residents put by the curb, and Solid Waste Systems is the company that runs the Ukiah Valley Transfer Station on Taylor Drive, where the materials are taken. But to have commingled waste taken to his facility, Mileck said he was asked to sign a contract with a third company, Pacific Recycling Solutions, located at 4200 N. State St.

Mileck said he would have preferred to sign a contract with one of the two companies the city was already contracting with, but in the end he agreed to a contract with Pacific Recycling Solutions.

Mileck said he offered to take the commingled waste for Ukiah residents — which will be their yard waste combined with kitchen scraps that could include meat, dairy and fish, as well as soiled paper products such as cardboard, paper towels and paper plates — for the first year at $16 a ton, but the second year he will charge $26 a ton.

“That will bring everybody to $26 a ton,” said Mileck, explaining that Willits, which also signed a contract to begin taking commingled waste to his facility as of Nov. 1, will also be charged $26 a ton the second year. “That will mean we can reduce the costs for the City of Fort Bragg and the unincorporated areas of Mendocino County from $32 a ton to $26. Up until now, they’ve been carrying the load for everybody else.”

Though the contract for the City of Willits does not begin until Nov. 1, Mileck said he is already getting material from that city’s hauler, which he said is proof that “we’re cheaper than the landfill. They wouldn’t be doing that if we weren’t the least expensive option.”

Mileck said also this summer, he began accepting material from Northern Sonoma County, including Windsor, Healdsburg, Geyserville and Cloverdale.

“The material we’ll be getting from Ukiah is insignificant compared to Northern Sonoma,” he said, adding that he does hope to be able to expand his facility, and will be seeking the permits to do so.

(Courtesy, the Ukiah Daily Journal)

WOMEN IN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY will be the topic of The Cannabis Hour on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 9 a.m. on KZYX radio. Journalist and activist Pebbles Trippet, a contributing editor to Skunk Magazine, and herbalist Crystal Rae Aleman, founder of the Mendocino Chapter of Women Grow, will join host Jane Futcher live in the studio. That’s KZYX radio, 90.7 FM, Philo; 91.5 FM, Willits and Ukiah, and 88.1 FM Fort Bragg. KZYX also streams on the Web at KZYX.org. To listen to programs you may have missed, go to jukebox.kzyx.org.

* * *

I HEARD about a new trend where people make marijuana-infused wine. They say it's the first wine that pairs well with every food. — Jimmy Fallon

ON MONDAY, September 14, 2015 at approximately 1:10 PM, Deputies from the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to a residence in the 75000 block of Highway 162 in Covelo, California to investigate an incident of domestic violence. Upon arrival, a nineteen year-old female adult told Deputies that she and her eighteen year-old boyfriend had an argument earlier in the day. It was reported that during the argument the boyfriend, Tiny Le Wolf Whipple, 18, of Covelo, grabbed the female adult by the neck and pushed her onto a couch. Whipple then covered the female adult's head with a blanket and punched her twice in the face. Deputies observed injuries on the female adult that were consistent with the information that was reported about the physical assault. Deputies subsequently contacted Whipple at his residence located in the 23000 block of Charlie Hurt Highway and arrested him for domestic violence battery. Whipple was booked into the Mendocino County Jail where he was to be held in lieu of $25,000 bail.

ON THE ROAD WITH CHARLES KURALT, CIRCA 1972

http://youtu.be/b8b0yuBIOps

AT ABOUT 1:30 AM on the morning of 09-15-2015 an intruder alarm at a closed business, Willits Power and Equipment (located at 1800 North Highway 1, Fort Bragg, California), was activated. Deputies from the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office responded and located a door that had been forced open. Deputies confronted Derek Silva, 47, a transient with a Fort Bragg address, who was attempting to exit the building as they approached. Silva was arrested without incident for burglary of the business. The building was searched and no other suspects were located. Derek Silva was booked into the Mendocino County Jail for burglary and probation revocation on $15,000 bail.

CATCH OF THE DAY, September 16, 2015

DAVID CHAVEZ, Ukiah. Probation revocation.

JESUS DELGADO JR., Fort Bragg. Burglary, probation revocation.

DEVIN GAUL, Bakersfield/Ukiah. Failure to appear.

JOSHUA HUGHES, Fort Bragg. Probation revocation.

WEI LIN, Oakland/Fort Bragg. Petty theft, failure to appear.

MARK LUCAS, Ukiah. Battery on emergency responder.

CHRISTOPHER McNEILL, Fort Bragg. Burglary, probation revocation.

ROBERT TAYLOR, Ukiah. Stalking, court order violation.

RUSSELL WATSON, Fort Bragg. Probation revocation.

LINDSAY WILLIAMS, Lakeport/Ukiah. Petty theft, retail.

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

On this business of cancelled elections and a military takeover etc:

There’s no one necessary way for something like this to unfold. But you can take it as given that the American plutocracy would assume that the ruling general(s) or admiral(s) would naturally look after the plutocracy’s interests. Just as a matter of course. And, if not, they would be bendable and-or buyable.

After all, to the plutocracy, it’s always all about them. Theirs are the only interests that matter. At least according to the plutocrats.

After the actions of the US government and the Fed following the 2008 debacle and after the dot-com and Long Term Capital Management disasters, you can see how the plutocrats would come to this point of view.

It’s not only that governments and regulators and law enforcement bent every rule and law on the books to safeguard the astoundingly wealthy, they purposely averted their eyes when it came to crimes committed by those same people. Too hard to prosecute. Too big to jail.

Restoration of law and order? Yes, well, in the end, rules and laws are for little people. I mean, can’t have howling mobs in the street. Right?

But history doesn’t always unfold according to the wishful thinking of the rich elite and what comes to pass may not always accord with their whims and needs. History is instructive in this. There were wide divergences in how events unfolded in Germany and Russia and China when ruling orders were upset in the 20th Century. Some very wealthy and powerful people, who thought they couldn’t be touched, came to very bad ends. But not always and not everywhere. Krupp, the last time I looked, is still in business. So is Blohm and Voss.

What I’m saying is that personalities are important in this. Just as Germany and Russia and China were very different societies, Hitler and his henchmen were not the same sorts as Lenin and his boys or Mao and his.

Plus, each of those countries had violently contending interests. From the perspective of the 1910’s and 1920’s it was a toss-up as to who ended up dead in alleyways and who ended up on balconies waving to the crowds.

So who knows about the ambitions and attitudes and values and loyalties of the hats in the Pentagon. Who knows if they’re all on the same page on things? Maybe they pretty much are. But maybe not. How would differences get resolved? A la night of the long knives? Or through give and take?

And what about the ordinary rifleman? Let’s not discount them. I mean, who could have foreseen that Austrian corporal taking power in Germany? Or that little Corsican in France?

ACTIVISTS CALL FOR FRACKING BAN AS AMENDED SENATE BILL 350 PASSES

by Dan Bacher

On September 11, the California Legislature approved an amended version of Senate Bill 350, a measure that legislative leaders and Governor Jerry Brown touted as “landmark climate legislation.”

In response, anti-fracking activists pointed out the contradiction between Brown's strong support of extreme oil extraction methods and his constant grandstanding about "clean energy" - and called on Brown to use his executive power to ban the environmentally destructive practice of fracking in California.

Under intense political pressure from the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) and the oil companies, Governor Brown and legislative leaders agreed on Wednesday, September 9, to remove a provision to reduce demand for petroleum use in vehicles by 50 percent by 2030.

The amended bill, the Clean Energy and Pollution Reduction Act, still provides for a 50 percent increase in energy efficiency in buildings and a goal of 50 percent of state utilities’ power coming from renewable energy, all by 2030.

Catherine Reheis Boyd, President of the Western States Petroleum Association and former Chair of the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative Blue Ribbon Task Force to create “marine protected areas” in Southern California, and other oil industry representatives celebrated the removal of this key provision of the bill. "WSPA and its member companies remain committed to working with Governor Jerry Brown and legislators on climate change and energy policy," Reheis- Boyd said Wednesday. (http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2015/09/11/18777466.php )

Legislative leaders praised the amended bill as the “nation’s most far reaching climate change legislation,” in spite of the removal of the provision calling for a 50 percent reduction in petroleum demand in cars and trucks.

“These new steps build on California’s historic commitment to lead the world in the fight against climate change and build a healthy and livable planet for our children and grandchildren,” said Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles).

Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), who presented the amended SB 350 on the Assembly floor Friday night, said, “This is, make no doubt about it, landmark legislation for California. We will continue to lead the way.”

Brown calls for “taking carbon out of modern economy,” but backs fracking

In a statement, Governor Jerry Brown claimed, “Taking carbon out of the modern economy requires heroic efforts and tireless struggle. SB 350, in both efficiency and renewable energy, ratchets up the California commitment. We have the technological means and now we have the legal mandate to reduce carbon pollution.”

However, anti-fracking groups pointed out the dichotomy between Brown’s campaign to take “carbon out of the modern economy” and his steadfast support of fracking. They urged Brown to use his “significant executive powers” to rein in the oil industry following the Assembly’s vote on the altered version of SB350 that excludes a provision to reduce petroleum usage in the state.

They also said that while the majority of scientific studies, including a multi-volume study from the California Council on Science and Technology, point to risks to public health, air quality, water and wildlife associated with oil development, “California continues to supply the world with crude oil.”

"While Governor Brown recently lost a legislative battle to reduce oil consumption by 2030, he should now focus his attention on what he can do before he leaves office in 2018,“ said Adam Scow, California Director for Food & Water Watch, in a statement on behalf of Californians Against Fracking. “He can begin by using his executive authority to reduce both oil consumption and production by issuing a ban on all fracking techniques, especially methods that use vast amounts of water, chemicals, and steam at high pressure.”

Unfortunately, fracking is just one of the many environmentally destructive policies of the Brown administration. Governor Brown has relentlessly pushed the salmon-killing Delta Tunnels under the Bay Delta Conservation Plan/California Water Fix; has promoted water policies that have driven salmon, steelhead, Delta smelt and other fish to the edge of extinction; presided over record water exports out of the Delta in 2011; backs the clearcutting of forests in the Sierra Nevada; and is a strong supporter of neo-liberal carbon trading policies that routinely promote environmentally ineffective and socially unjust projects across the globe.

For a complete discussion of Brown’s tainted environmental policies, go to http://www.truth-out.org/speakout/item/30452-the-extinction-governor-rips-the-green-mask-off-his-tunnels-plan

Senate Bill 350 is not the only bill that the oil industry waged a successful campaign against. Intensive lobbying by the oil industry resulted in the tabling until next year of Senate Bill 788, legislation to protect a State Marine Reserve created under the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative from new oil drilling, and SB 248, a bill to keep toxic oil and gas and fracking wastewater out of drinking water.

In addition, Senate Bill 32, a measure that bill author Senator Fran Pavley said "aimed at bolstering California’s efforts to combat climate pollution well into the 21st Century," will become a two-year bill taken up again when lawmakers return to the Capitol early next year.

(http://sd27.senate.ca.gov/news/2015-09-10-senator-fran-pavley-statement-senate-bill-32)

FCC DECISION ALMOST AS GOOFY AS MANAGEMENT

Not necessarily a clean bill of health — conclusions/actions as quoted from the FCC's order, dated September 15, 2015, after year-long investigation

Conclusion/Actions.

For the foregoing reasons, the Informal Objections filed by John Sakowicz, Sheila Dawn Tracy, M. Kathryn Massey, Yasmin Solomon, and Sandra Peterson ARE GRANTED IN PART and OTHERWISE DENIED.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that MCPB IS ADMONISHED for failure to maintain both a full-time staff employee and one full-time management level employee at Station KZYX(FM)'s main studio during the license term.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the application of Mendocino County Public Broadcasting for renewal of the license for Station KZYX(FM), Philo California (File No. BRED-20130724AAG) IS GRANTED.

Sincerely,

Peter H. Doyle Chief, Audio Division

Media Bureau

The FCC