Mendocino County Today: Saturday, Sep 19, 2015

• Fire Update
• Beach Towns
• Supe Protocols
• Bookwinkle's Ramp
• Repub Debate
• Contemporary Fiction
• Yesterday's Catch
• Fat Kids
• Commons Class
• Cancer Fundraiser
• Christian Infighting
• Delta Art
• Tangled Vines
• PA Agenda
• Library Events
• Houser Memorials
• Gardens Update

AS OF FRIDAY EVENING, the Valley Fire has burned 73,700 acres and is 45% contained. CalFire: “Suppression crews made good progress Friday and were able to construct additional control lines. Lower humidity overnight may allow for moderate fire activity, as available fuels continue to dry out. Damage Inspection Teams continued gathering damage data in the affected areas. As additional information becomes available, the numbers of damaged or destroyed structures may change. The inspection process is meticulous and ongoing. The cancellation of additional evacuation orders is being evaluated based on a variety of factors including potential fire behavior and re-establishment of critical infrastructure."

SATURDAY MORNING UPDATE (6:30am): 74,500 acres burned - 48% contained. Some evacuation & road closure updates can be found in this press release: cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/pub/cdf/images/incidentfile1226_1892.pdf

15 UNDER-THE-RADAR CALIFORNIA BEACH TOWNS to visit now, by Christine Delsol (SF Chronicle, Sep 18, 2015)

AS A STONE SUCKER for these Best Of lists, I scanned this baby on the assumption Fort Bragg would be at the top of the list. Fort Bragg wasn't even on the list, but Point Arena was. And that was it for Mendocino County. But for people-free beaches, muy bonita vistas, intriguing throw back harbors, rollicking bars, terrific little restaurants and lots of them, and relatively inexpensive motels, Fort Bragg, by any objective standard, is easily the best beach town going. And put up against the rest of California's beach towns amenity for amenity, and what the hell throw in Oregon's beach towns too, Fort Bragg is also easily numero uno. Some of FB's motels are bold enough to call themselves hotels, as if they were mini-Fairmonts, but who's deceived? But if it's a small town on the ocean you want, Fort Bragg is the goods.

I BELIEVE Christine Delsol of the Chron is the daughter of the late Lou Delsol, Mendocino County Superintendent of Schools, and a Mendocino County native. We seldom agreed on school matters, but the old boy was always gracious. And no dummy. His successors, except for a brief interlude with one of the Kirkpatrick boys, have been a series of morons and thieves and even one guy who used tax paid edu-equipment to make pornographic films starring underage Ukiah girls.

WHERE WERE WE? O yes. California's coolest beach towns. At the top of Ms. Delsol's list we find Crescent City, an acquired taste which I acquired years ago not long after the famous tsunami wiped the town out. As a visual, Crescent City… Well, imagine Willits plunked down on the ocean. CC has, though, a kind of post-industrial fishing charm, with lots of old boats and buoys lying around and a beach that goes on and on and, like Fort Bragg's seaside, virtually unpeopled on even the fairest days.  I was totally beguiled by CC via two tsunami stories and went north to have a look at the place for myself, and came away liking the charmingly retro Curly Redwood Motel built out of a single redwood and the unplanned mumble jumble of the place generally.

THE TWO STORIES: A half-dozen drunks were still hitting it after hours when the waters began to rise, and kept on rising as they sat there stewed and sea-soaked up to their chests. The other is the lighthouse tender looked out the big window and saw the wave that destroyed Crescent City as it moved over and past his tower on its way to land.

SHELTER COVE, HUMCO, legitimately makes the list, and it's certainly out of the way. It's also got major abandonment issues. Planned as a gridded-out suburb on the Lost Coast, nobody but a few pot growers and isolates ever wanted to live out there. (It didn't help when a sales plane packed with real estate PR people crashed during take off.) The remoteness is good, in that Shelter Cove has always had a kind of low-rent Machu Pichu vibe, with all those un-built-out lots climbing up the King Range. You stand there looking at the place wondering what kind of lunatic even conceived it. Brooktrails, northwest of Willits, for years a real estate scam pegged to perpetual re-sales of unbuildable lots on 90-degree slopes, is similarly ill-conceived, but not to the degree of pure zaniness of conceptual Shelter Cove.

MENDO'S POINT ARENA places third on Ms. Delsol's Best Of roster. "Snagging a front-row seat for winter storm theatrics in Point Arena (www.cityofpointarena.com) Lifelong hippies and old-timers from the town's heyday as a fishing village co-exist amicably in this southern Mendocino County town. Defined by a pier to the south and the Pacific Coast's tallest lighthouse to the north, it boasts one of the North Coast's best ocean access points, good restaurants, an outstanding bakery, an artfully restored 1929 art deco movie theater, and a wildlife preserve populated by African animals. The Point Arena Lighthouse alone is worth the trip, poised at the tip of a stark needle of land that diminishes each year under the assault of waves, wind and rain. Stay in one of the former keepers' houses, surrounded by ocean on three sides, to catch the celestial pyrotechnics when a winter storm blows in."

NOT A BAD assessment of our smallest incorporated town and, like Fort Bragg, an interesting mix of people of ordinary means.

BOLINAS? It and Stinson Beach lost their innate charms by 1960. First came the hippies, then the rich hippies, then the totally undesirable super rich. If you like Carmel, you'll like Bolinas.

SAN CLEMENTE. It was the bus stop to Camp Pendleton when I was in the Marines in a previous life. On a late Sunday 1957 afternoon, San Clemente remains fixed in my mind as the most desolate, depressing place in the whole world, of which at the time I'd seen nothing. Marines were treated worse than stray dogs by the swine who ran the commerce on the town's desolate main drag, and you'd stand there broke and up rattled the free bus back to long days of humping a mortar base plate up and down desolate hills. Nixon's last days were spent at San Clemente, which always seemed just right to me. I suppose the place has been completely transformed, but I'd detour through Nevada and Arizona just to avoid seeing it again.

REGARDING SUPERVISOR CARRE BROWN’S MEMO to Supervisor Woodhouse for talking to County staff without asking Mommy, er, CEO Carmel Angelo.

* * *

County of Mendocino

Board of Supervisors

Confidential Communication

From: Carre Brown, Chair of the Board of Supervisors

To: Supervisor Tom Woodhouse

CC: Dan Gjerde, Vice Chair of the Board of Supervisors

Date: August 11, 2015

Re: Discussion on July 23, 2015

This memorandum serves to recap our discussion about how members of the Board of Supervisors are expected to relate with County staff, and the scope of powers for individual members of the Board.

I provided an overview of the division of responsibilities in the County governance. I reminded you that in accordance with County Ordinance 4140, the County Executive Officer is responsible for running the day-to-day business of the county, including oversight of County staff. Our role as members of the Board of Supervisors is to develop policy and legislation to guide the work; the CEO and delegated staff then execute the plans. As we discussed, an individual board member does not hold legislative or executive powers on his or her own. The power derives from the collective Board of Supervisors. So an individual supervisor does not have the power to make unilateral decisions or actions on behalf of the board. The Brown Act governs meetings of the Board because the legislative body as a whole is the entity that has the power to guide and create county policies.

Given this model, it is very important that all of our Board members provide the CEO with the level of deference appropriate under Ordinance 4140. If as a board we want to request information or ensure that staff is meeting its obligations we must work through the CEO's office directly and not try to work around the CEO or the department heads. With departments run by elected department heads, we as supervisors can always speak directly to the elected department heads, but are usually best served by also coordinating our contact with elected department heads through the CEOs office.

Additionally, I explained that it is inappropriate for a member of the board to contact nonsupervisory staff directly to inquire about the nature of his or her work projects. Doing so is problematic because first and foremost the meeting distracts the staff member from his or her job duties. The staff member will likely feel compelled to meet with a member of the board of supervisors who seeks the meeting even if the staff member is uncomfortable with the subject matter or timing of the meeting. Additionally, as an official of the county, if a staff member were to report feeling singled out or harassed on the basis of a protected status like sex or age the county would be at risk for liability based on the individual supervisor's conduct.

Vice Chair Gjerde focused on strategies moving forward to ensure that all of our Board members comply with the directives of Ordinance 4140 and to avoid creating liability for the county by individually contacting staff members. As we discussed Vice Chair Gjerde and I are available to answer your questions about how to proceed in the future should you have any confusion about the appropriate course of action to take.

We appreciate you acknowledging the need to comply with Ordinance 4140 and your commitment to avoid placing the County at risk for liability going forward.

Please contact me or Vice Chair Gjerde if my recap of our discussion differs from your recollection.

* * *

ACCORDING to a Friday report by Linda Williams in Friday’s Willits News, Supervisor Brown said that “The problem she was trying to communicate with Woodhouse was that when talking to employees in the workplace it was better to go through a more formal process, so that ‘staff doesn’t feel uncomfortable’.”

MS. BROWN is correct. It is “better to go through a more formal process” because that way you have a record of what was asked, what the response was, and the CEO’s position on the subject. But certainly there are background questions and clarifications that need not go through the CEO’s office, and good for Woodhouse for nosing around on his own.

BUT WITH IMPORTANT QUESTIONS like deadlines, complaints about service, a department’s position on some area of dispute, etc., Woodhouse should go through the CEO or at least cc the CEO. We have yet to see a single thing written by Supervisor Woodhouse on any County matter, not that we hear much from our other solons and nothing at all from our alleged supervisor, Dan Hamburg.

SO WE ASSUME WOODHOUSE'S “communications” are of the “informal chat” variety but so what? Making staff "feel comfortable" is not among a Supervisor’s duties. Just the opposite, as long as it’s county business.

WHY this all has to play out in a context where a formal memo has to be written from one Supervisor to another is uniquely Mendo. Why does one Supervisor feel the need to lecture another about how to ask questions of staff in a formal memo? And where does she get off? Woodhouse is an elected colleague, not a subordinate. It probably has something to do with Woodhouse’s informality and soft-headedness as indicated by his odd reversal of his position on Mental Health when simply told the financial news wasn’t as bad as previously thought.

IF SUPERVISOR WOODHOUSE is serious about the operations of departments like the perennially opaque Mental Health, he should want to put his questions in writing and expect answers in writing, and of course the CEO should be in the loop.

A SIDE BENEFIT of such questions would be that all such communications would be part of the public record and available for public review and comment. The way Woodhouse is doing it — apparently casually chatting with staff to no particular end —  does not do anybody any good.

SO YES, go through the CEO, in writing, on important matters. And if you don’t like the answer, bring it up as a specific question at a Board meeting or release it to the press. The public is a Supervisor’s best ally for things like this — if he or she chooses to use uxxx.

NOW IS THE TIME TO 'COMMENT' ON 'HOWARD'S FOLLY'
 — COUNTY SEEKS RESIDENTS’ OPINION ON RAMP PROJECT

The county is seeking comments "after-the-fact" regarding the pedestrian blockade on Main Street, Mendocino — and we bet they'll be getting an earful!

Here is an update from the MCNlistserv Thursday on the County "project" started Monday & completed Tuesday:

"I'm really getting tired of relaying bad news, but here goes. Now the county has decided to remove the crosswalk at the intersection of Main and Kasten. I guess they figure that if there is no crosswalk to be forced to jaywalk to, then they can't be held responsible.

Today there were three 'near misses' between cars and pedestrians, all being documented. Perhaps the county can remove the stop signs and we can have demolition derby with cars at the intersection instead of human beings.

In any case, they posted a notification of the removal of the crosswalk (dated 9/16 - it was not there yesterday) and it says that any comments opposing the removal must be in writing and received in their office by October 19th at 4:30 PM.

The address is 340 Lake Mendocino Dr., Ukiah Ca 95482. Since some county employees have already started denying that the county removed the ramp, I would suggest you send your letters certified with return receipt. I wonder how the children are going to get safely across the street on Halloween when they are trick or treating?

One last thing, when people put up fliers on the barricade protesting this whole fiasco, they somehow are gone the next day. 
Will keep you posted, thanks for reading, Laura Evan, Cultured Affair Cafe"

Also this letter to Mendo Board of Supervisors Dan Hamburg was posted by Wendy Roberts to the MCNlistserv @ 11:37 am Friday:

"We need a proper solution to this mess, and the sooner the better. Continuing to slap Mendocino residents in the face is not going to get the job done.
 Thank you for your consideration."

(Courtesy, MendocinoSportsPlus)

* * *

MENDOCINO COUNTY ANNOUNCES A MEETING IN THE TOWN OF MENDOCINO TO DISCUSS TRAFFIC SAFETY AND FUTURE PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENTS

On September 14, 2015 the Department of Transportation removed a non-conforming ramp from the right-of-way at the corner of Kasten Street and Main Street in the town of Mendocino. As a temporary safety measure, due to the elevated height of the concrete patio which has functioned as a public pedestrian walkway, a railing has been installed.

The installation of a temporary safety railing has initiated concerns within the community regarding the need for alternative public access along Main Street. Supervisor Hamburg has coordinated a public meeting to discuss the temporary measures and long-term options for compliant public pedestrian facilities in the town of Mendocino. On September 25, 2015 at 3:00 p.m. a meeting will be held at Saint Anthony’s Hall, located at 10700 Lansing Street, Mendocino. In addition, County staff expects to provide an informational update to the Mendocino Historical Review Board at their regularly scheduled meeting on October 5, 2015.

Questions regarding traffic safety and pedestrian improvements should be directed to Howard Dashiell, Director of Mendocino County Department of Transportation, by phone at (707) 463-4363 or by email at dashiellh@co.mendocino.ca.us.

Released by: Dan Hamburg

Fifth District Supervisor

* * *

AS REPORTED YESTERDAY, MR. DASHIELL promptly explained the problem:

I do not have a copy of the "Old Sacramento" plans referenced... so I can't comment on that.

Jaywalking is defined in the California Vehicle Code (CVC) as crossing midstreet between controlled intersections (intersections with signal lights). While I believe and have said that I think it is best to walk up Kasten and cross at the intersection with Albion Street then back down Kasten to Main there is no law about crossing midstreet on Main or Kasten. Pedestrians must cross the street when safe and yield the motorists per the CVC.

In general the real problem is the existing layout of the site. The entrance floor of the bookstore (Jarvis Nichols) building is 2.5 foot (maybe 3 foot as you state - depending where you measure from in the street grade) higher in elevation than the street. In history when there were no standards a steep ramp. Wood then dirt and asphalt was built to meet the elevation difference. But even with handrails that approach does not meet the present standard (all standards not just Americans with Disabilities Act - ADA).

The adjacent bookstore (Jarvis Nichols) building has a 2.5 foot high legacy patio/porch at their building floor level. So because their access patio/porch (of unknown construction - not road construction but the building access encroachment) is inaccessible to the street; at present standards it is up to the building owner to tear down and rebuild a new system of ramps to get the 2.5 or 3 feet of elevation change done within the footprint of their patio/porch and the street corner. Their patio/porch is old, likely hollow or earth filled so it is likely a tear down re-build because there is not enough room in the roadway alone to build a long enough ramp.

The building owner has to bring a new ramp system forward. Until then pedestrians need to follow the paths around (up Kasten to Albion and back down Kasten) to avoid the elevation change at the corner of Main and Kasten. The vertical grades are the access block. All the Mendocino County Department of Transportation (MCDoT) did is remove the too short ramp which no longer meets standards. I did this to remove a liability and hazard for the county which in turn exposed the legacy vertical elevation barrier of the building's 2.5 foot high patio/porch.

I will work with the building owner or any applicant on a solution that meets current standards— will look at the "Old Sacramento" plans referenced when I get a copy.

Cordially,

Howard N. Dashiell, Director

Mendocino County Department of Transportation

340 Lake Mendocino Drive

Ukiah, CA 95482

(707)463-4363

(707)463-5474 FAX

THE DEBATE. The constant references to Hillary and Obama as "the left" set a nice tone of total unreality. All the Republican candidates are wrong about everything. The "debate" was like a contest to see who could be the wrongest. It's most depressing as a kind of metaphor of how far the country has slipped. If I were an oligarch, I'd be for Fiorina as the most dependable defender of my vaults, and the least likely to do crazy stuff, but that's only by comparison to the rest of the menagerie. It's all like being on an airliner with a suicide bomber at the controls. I'm glad I live in a small town where lots of people are already growing and eating local.

WHAT'S WRONG with contemporary fiction: this opening sentence from a short story called "Late" by Steven Millhauser in the current Harper's: "Because Valeria is always late, because I'd like to have dinner with her at seven, and because, if I ask her to meet me at the restaurant at seven, I might not have dinner until eight, I ask Valeria to meet me at the restaurant at six." Valeria never does show up, but the cutesy conceit about a terminally uptight yuppo goes on and on, and natch she can't simply be called Valerie because writers like this guy never have girl friends named Valerie or, worse, Debbie, and never ever Crystal and god no Crystal with a "K." If Harper's hadn't run this story The New Yorker would have. They were probably bidding against each other for it.

CATCH OF THE DAY, September 18, 2015

JAMES BELDEN III, Ukiah. Possession of controlled substance and paraphernalia, resisting, probtion revocation.

DARRELL CREAMER, Fort Bragg. Under influence of controlled substance, probation revocation. (Frequent flyer.)

PATRICK GARCIA, Willits. Forge/alter vehicle registration, suspended license.

CHARLES HENSLEY, Ukiah. Drunk in public. (Frequent flyer.)

SHALA HOEFLICH, Piercy. DUI, resisting, failure to appear.

JOSHUA KEYS, Ukiah. Felony vandalism, probation revocation.

DWAYNE MCKENZIE, Ukiah. Possession of controlled substance and paraphernalia, probation revocation.

JOSEPH MURPHY, Concord/Boonville. Meth sales, pot cultivation, processing.

SAMUEL OSTERGAARD, Los Angeles/Redwood Valley. DUI.

ERNEST SALO, Ukiah. Sale of meth.

BRIAN SCHAT, Ukiah. DUI, misdemeanor hit & run.

DARIN SCOTT, Laytonville. Suspended license.

BERNAL SUAREZ, Tulum, Mexico/Boonville. Pot possession for sale.

LOUIE VIGIL, Redwood Valley. Petty theft, possession of controlled substance.

RODRIGO ZUNIGA, Ukiah. Under influence of controlled substance, probation revocation.

FAST FOOD & CHILDREN & TEENS

Dear Editor:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a new report that shows over one third of US children and teens eat fast food daily. Further, of that group 10.7 % obtained 25-40 percent of their daily calories from fast food and 12.1 percent more than 40 percent of their daily calories from fast food. Also, the report found there was little difference in gender or income levels. About 11.5 percent were close to poverty and 13 percent from the higher end of the economic spectrum.

The CDC stated childhood obesity has "more than doubled in children and quadrupted in adolescents in the past 30 years."Plus consumption of fast food has been linked to weight gain in adults. Fast food has been associated with high caloric intake but poorer diet quality. In a previous report CDC 9% of Californians say they have been has been diagnosed with diabetes. Clearly many of these children and teens are obese and may will develop diabetes with all its  long term health implications.

As a sidebar, my thoughts are that a good part of the problem are children and teens do not exercise as much as they should and spent far too much of their time on computers and their smart phones. I would note that I went to a k-12 grade school and graduated in January of 1944. I have a picture of the graduating class. There were 46 students and no obese or over weight persons in the class. Plenty of P. E. classes and after school activities. Plus we walked to school - no mommy driving us to and from school  Also, no parents supervising our after school activities.

In peace and love,

Jim Updegraff

Sacramento

POINT ARENA'S JAN EDWARDS visual graphic creation serves as foundation for "Creating the Commons" class at Mendocino College, Fort Bragg Campus. Pictured are student, Agnes Woolsey, and teacher Carrie Durkee.

(Photo/Caption by Susie de Castro)

16TH ANNUAL BIG RIVER WALK & PADDLE FOR CANCER

Saturday, October 24, 2015

9:30 AM

Big River State Park, Mendocino

Participate in the Big River Walk & Paddle For Cancer and support the Cancer Resource Centers' mission to improve the quality of life for those in Mendocino County faced with cancer.

Register now!  -

http://cts.vresp.com/c/?CancerResourceCenter/ce706f3d96/d19c12bacf/6113077431

http://cts.vresp.com/c/?CancerResourceCenter/ce706f3d96/d19c12bacf/18950447ae

http://cts.vresp.com/c/?CancerResourceCenter/ce706f3d96/d19c12bacf/e0dffe8a8d

Gather pledges. Set up an easy crowdfunding donation page.

http://cts.vresp.com/c/?CancerResourceCenter/ce706f3d96/d19c12bacf/811be78c11

http://cts.vresp.com/c/?CancerResourceCenter/ce706f3d96/d19c12bacf/019945b73a

Put together a team, participate with a friend, or come on your own.

Join CRC as we walk along the scenic, Big River Haul Road trail and paddle on Big River.

Participate in honor of a friend or family member who has faced cancer. The Big River Walk & Paddle for Cancer is a family-friendly event for all ages.

Saturday

Oct 24, 2015

Starting @ 9:30 am

@ BIG RIVER STATE PARK, Mendocino

Registration / Donation

Adults $25, Teens $10, Free for Kids under 12

Visit the Cancer Resource Centers of Mendocino County's website

http://cts.vresp.com/c/?CancerResourceCenter/ce706f3d96/d19c12bacf/2ebb1968c1

http://cts.vresp.com/c/?CancerResourceCenter/ce706f3d96/d19c12bacf/06337f1315

to register online and print pledge forms, or for more information about the Big River Walk & Paddle, please call CRC's Coast office: 707-937-3833.

The Cancer Resource Centers of Mendocino County is a grassroots organization with a mission to improve the quality of life for those in Mendocino County faced with cancer. CRC is completely financed through donations and grants. Our funders  and donors make it possible for our services to be provided at no cost  from offices located in Mendocino and Ukiah. Giving to CRC helps us help others!

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

I've had evangelicals wearing their crosses tell me as a Catholic I'm going to burn for all eternity because I'm not reborn and they say it with a straight, stern face. I respond 'I believe my Church started on a rock not a former car dealership'. Drives them nuts.

RYAN CAMERO, DELTA CULTURAL ACTIVIST, WINS DAVID BROWER YOUTH AWARD!

by Dan Bacher

Congratulations go to Ryan Camero for being selected as one of the six winners of the prestigious David Brower Youth Award for 2015! I just loved seeing the "Sucked Dry" interactive presentation when he, Sakura Sanders and Javier Padilla brought it to Sol Collective on election night, November 2014. Below is the press release from Restore the Delta (RTD) announcing Camero's selection as a winner of the award:

Delta Activist, Ryan Camero Wins Brower Youth Award 2015

“Using art to help save a delta”

Stockton, CA – Restore the Delta is proud to announce that Ryan Camero, Delta Activist and native of Stockton, California has been selected as a Brower Youth Award winner for 2015.

Each year, Earth Island Institute (founded by environmental icon David Brower) recognizes six young activists from across North America, “for their outstanding efforts to promote ecological sustainability and social justice.”

This year, one of these winners is Ryan Camero, a youth activist and artist intern staffer at Restore the Delta, based in Stockton.

“I feel very grateful that my efforts are helping a larger community cause. These life-giving ecosystems are absolutely crucial to protect in the middle of this drought,” said Camero. “The fact that these awards exist to connect and uplift youth working toward environmental and social justice gives me hope. Having lived along these waterways all my life, I continue to feel compelled to prevent them from being extracted and water being controlled by unsustainable industries like big desert farms and extreme energy. The largest estuary on the West Coast of the Americas needs to not only survive, but thrive for the generations that come after us.”

A Stockton native, Ryan grew up very familiar with the economic, social and ecological threats to the sustainability of his neighborhood and his bio region. He set out to join a group committed to building resiliency in the corner of the world he calls home. He brought in considerable artistic vision and talents to Restore the Delta.

“Ryan has led the way in making the protection of the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary a youth movement. In three years, we have watched him grow from a novice to a youth movement leader. As a result of his work, we now have many young volunteers in our public outreach program, which is thriving. Ryan Camero’s art and public speaking skills are helping to Stop the Delta Tunnels and to protect the Bay-Delta estuary for future generations,” said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of Restore the Delta.

In 2014 Camero helped create an interactive presentation called “Sucked Dry.” This travelling mural/presentation drew parallels between the current struggle to protect the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary and the peoples’ struggles against large-scale infrastructure projects in Mesoamerica. The work was a project of the Beehive Collective, an activist art group.

Last fall, Camero led a three-week tour to 18 California cities where he presented Sucked Dry to local audiences and facilitated discussions about the fragile Delta ecosystem. He is continuing his activism through intersectional organizing, working additionally with the California Student Sustainability Coalition, of which he is a part as well as being the group that initially nominated him.

Contacts:

Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Restore the Delta, 209-479-2053

Ryan Camero, Restore the Delta, 209-683-8879

TANGLED VINES

California Studies Dinner Seminar Sept 24th: Frances Dinkelspiel

(And they say all the crime happens on pot farms.)

“Tangled Vines: Greed, Murder, Obsession, and an Arsonist in the Vineyards of California” — September 24, 2015

Author and journalist Frances Dinkelspiel will discuss her new book, “Tangled Vines,” on Thursday, September 24 from 7 to 9:15pm. The book tells the story of the destruction by arson of more than $250 million worth of wine in a Vallejo warehouse in 2005, in the context of the long history of crime and violence in California vineyards, including those of the author’s great-great grandfather I.W. Hellman.

Dinkelspiel is the author of a Hellman biography and co-founder of the news website “Berkeleyside.” The event will be at the UCB Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, 2521 Channing Way (just east of Telegraph Ave.).Free admission and dinner.

Contact Margaret Olney at margaret_olney@berkeley.edu, 510-643-8140

Margaret Olney, Editorial Assistant, IRLEUC Berkeley, 2521 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94720

Darwin Bond-Graham, Journalist

darwinbondgraham@gmail.com

CITY OF POINT ARENA REGULAR MEETING AGENDA September 22, 2015

https://files.acrobat.com/a/preview/1c681b21-63e8-4998-91ce-d31b89ad155e

LIBRARY EVENTS

1,000 Books before Kindergarten Kickoff Party

On Saturday, October 3^rd, from 11-12:30 pm, the Mendocino County Library, Fort Bragg Branch is hosting 1,000 Books before Kindergarten Kickoff Party.

Fort Bragg Branch is now a proud member of the 1,000 Books before Kindergarten Foundation. This program helps promote reading and building the parent and child bond through books. On Saturday, October 3^rd from 11-12:30, the Fort Bragg Branch Library and the Fort Bragg Rotary Club will be having a 1,000 Books before Kindergarten Kickoff party. The Fort Bragg Rotary and Fort Bragg Branch Library will offer stories, entertainers, songs, craft, and fun. So bring your little ones, your newborn and your expected one and get signed up for this fun program that builds a love for reading.

Screening of PBS Documentary Ai Weiwei: the Fake Case

On Friday, October 2, 2015, at 5:00 pm the Mendocino County Library, Fort Bragg Branch is hosting PBS Screening of the documentary Ai Weiwei: the Fake Case.

Fort Bragg Branch Library is pleased to announce for our First Friday Art Program we will be showing an advance screening of the PBS documentary Ai Weiwei: the Fake Case. This documentary by PBS is scheduled to be shown on PBS in October. The Fort Bragg Branch Library will host an advanced screening on Friday October 2^nd at 5:00 pm. This documentary looks at one of China’s most powerful artist and the Chinese government’s attempt to silence him. Come by the Fort Bragg Branch Library to view this wonderful and critically acclaimed documentary.

The Battle of the Books Round Two Kick Off

On Thursday, October 1, at 4 pm the Mendocino County Library, Fort Bragg Branch is hosting The Battle of the Books Round Two Kick Off.

Join us in the library’s teen section at 4 p.m. to discover which books won Round One of the Battle of the Books and to start voting on Round Two. There will be door prizes from 4:00-4:30 pm, and voting for Round Two will last until October 31^st. Please contact Elizabeth at the Fort Bragg Library with any questions.

Zen Adult Coloring

On Friday, October 16, from 5-6 pm, the Mendocino County Library, Fort Bragg Branch is hosting Zen Adult Coloring.

Fort Bragg Branch Library is offering the latest art craze, Adult Coloring. This fun new art craze will be offered every third Friday of the month from 5-6pm. Join us to relax and enjoy being creative while coloring intricate pictures. Everyone is welcome to come to the Fort Bragg Branch Library and enjoy creating beautiful pictures.

GEORGE HOUSER MEMORIALS

To the Editor: August 20, 2015

George Houser who just died at 99 had a huge impact on this nation and the world. As one of the original “freedom riders” in the South in the late ’40s he was the precursor to all that came later in the '50s and Œ60s. He played a major role in the many struggles for equality and human rights around the globe. George and his wife Jean moved to Sonoma County in 2009 and chose the FRIENDS HOUSE community in Santa Rosa to make their new home.

His was a lifetime commitment to justice in all its forms. The “Freedom Riders” are known as the beginning of the Civil Rights movement and he was also a co founder of C.O.R.E. (Congress of Racial Equality). He became an advocate for a free South Africa early in the 50s devoting decades of work to ending apartheid there. In 2010 he was honored by Mandela with the Oliver Tambo award. And yes, he even made it to the Oprah show to talk about those early days ending injustice everywhere.  And that includes Palestine with George showing no hesitation in describing Israel's occupation there as Apartheid.

I¹ve been inspired by many folks in my 80 years on this planet but George Houser stands out.

Mary Moore, Camp Meeker

PS To all: There are two memorials planned for George Houser and the “West Coast” one is tomorrow in Santa Rosa. It starts at 10 AM at Friends House, 684 Benicia Dr. For those of you who knew George, you know how fortunate we were to have him in our community during the last years of his life. He was 99 when he died last month and sure did pack a lot of good into those ten decades. Please come tomorrow and pay your respects to George. See the letter I sent about him below this announcement. MM George Houser's Memorial Services - West & East

The Houser family and the Fellowship of Reconciliation warmly welcome you to attend a celebration of the life of beloved husband, father, friend to all, and legendary peace activist, George Houser

<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=gQ0%2Fz49%2FskpG9LYKvmysz3HS7s i4XkGX>.

There will be two celebrations - one on the west coast in Santa Rosa, CA, and on the east coast in New York City. The details for both are as follows:

Please note that there has been a time change! West Coast Celebration September 19, 2015 at 10:00 AM

Friends House

<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=o3zVN%2BAVydaaXbix5Y6Qp3HS7si4 XkGX> ,

684 Benecia, Santa Rosa, CA, 95409

All are welcome and invited to bring a dish of finger food to share in the reception following the service.

FOR Executive Director Rev. Kristin Stoneking

<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=uB0mVsd9o6yRxH%2FkjnfDj3HS7si4 XkGX>

officiating with Rev. Jim Lawson

<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=lfEkTesnREhBka%2FbvZlU7nHS7si4 XkGX>

and Rev. Phil Lawson.

<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=es4klUt%2F8UAFgHFHpxAj6XHS7si4 XkGX>

East Coast Celebration November 6, 2015 at 10:00 AM

James Chapel, Union Theological Seminary

<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=b8n77pjJg8jAzK%2F6YOuvL3HS7si4 XkGX>,

3041 Broadway at 121st Street, New York City, NY, 10027

FOR Executive Director Rev. Kristin Stoneking officiating. All are welcome.

And for those who would like to continue to celebrate George¹s life in relation to FOR¹s 100 year history, there will be a reception in conjunction with our Centennial celebrations at FOR headquarters, Shadowcliff, 521 N. Broadway in Nyack, NY that Friday evening (11/6) at 6:00 PM. The reception will feature the unveiling of a “Peace Tower” that commemorates the FOR “giants that we stand on the shoulders of” which includes George, and the screening of a short documentary film about FOR¹s 100 years that has some footage from interviews with George.

We look forward to celebrating George Houser¹s magnificent life with you,

Ethan, Linda, Jonette, Gretchen, Hope, and all at FOR.

BLOOM BLAST from Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens

(http://www.gardenbythesea.org)

One of our identified values, and a component of our mission, is to protect the plants and natural environment on the land we occupy. This often means taking an active role in managing certain areas for specific outcomes related to habitat.

Recent mowing of the Coastal Prairie on the south end of the property reduced potential fuel load in the understory of the cypress grove, serving as a fire break. Mowing on the north side is helping reduce invasive, non-native sweet vernal and velvet grasses, significantly improving habitat allowing native flora to reseed. Gardener and Naturalist Mario Abreu has seen significant populations of native wild onion, brodiaea, woolly sunflower, blue-eyed grass, coast buckwheat, and Castilleja latifolia ssp. mendocinensis, or Mendocino Coast Paintbrush (listed as endangered in California), returning to this carefully managed area.

In Bloom: Late Rhododendrons, Perennials, Coastal Wildflowers, Heaths, Summer Heathers, Heritage Roses, Woodland Fuchsias, Succulent Garden, Dahlias.

 

Our mailing address is:

Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens
18220 N. Highway 1
Ft Bragg, Ca 95437