Mendocino County Today: Thursday, Oct 1, 2015

• FB Water Emergency
• Family Homicides
• Test Results
• Dan's Story
• Warrant Wednesday
• Model X
• Papal Decrees
• Planned Parenthood
• Last Meals
• Drug Scandal
• Yesterday's Catch
• News Shock
• Sunset
• Candidate Principles
• Republican Economics
• Solar Solution
• Butterfly Bombs
• Water Pricing
• Arctic Drilling
• Vocational Grants
• Flawed Tunnels

FORT BRAGG DECLARES WATER EMERGENCY

Just In From Fort Bragg:

In an emergency 2pm meeting the city of Fort Bragg declared a Stage 3 water emergency. Apparently the combination of low tides and diminished flow in the Noyo means that the water they will be able to supply will now be salty! All options look crappy. It appears from their discussion that water consumption in Fort Bragg which is daily about 350,000 gallons will have to be reduced to about half of that, possibly from now on. Also they have no clue how to do that. There is no assurance that even once the tides moderate that water will again be palatable. I just tasted it and it seems ok to me, but in the emergency meeting they indicated that they are right now using up their tiny reserves, and once these are exhausted the water in the tap is headed south, as far as drinkability goes.

— Rex Gressett reporting

* * *

RESOLUTION OF THE FORT BRAGG CITY COUNCIL DECLARING A STAGE 3 WATER EMERGENCY

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Fort Bragg does hereby declare a Stage 3 Water Emergency in accordance with Fort Bragg Municipal Code Section 14.06.020 and the mandatory water conservation measures established in Section 14.06.050(A), (B) and (C) are hereby in effect; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the mandatory water conservation measures now in effect include the following:

1. Defective or leaky equipment using City water must be repaired or turned off.
2. Irrigation or watering of landscaping with City water is prohibited.
3. Washing/cleaning of paved surfaces and building exteriors is prohibited.
4. Washing of vehicles, except with a shut-off nozzle, is prohibited.
5. Restaurants may only serve water upon request. The use of disposable plates, cups and flatware is required.
6. All hospitality businesses are asked to reduce their water usage and to launder linens and towels on a limited basis.
7. Commercial water customers are asked to be innovative and find ways to reduce water consumption that best fit their operations.

* * *

FORT BRAGG should have a new reservoir in place by next spring, ensuring that even in drought years enough rainfall will be collected to quench FB's annual thirst. A smallish affair that will more resemble a pond, the supply will be stored behind a small dam near Hare Creek off Highway 20 at the very end of Summers Lane.

WITH AN EXPANDED water supply, Fort Bragg may see something of a mini-building boom, infill on the town's many empty lots.

MENDO FAMILY SUFFERS TWO HOMICIDES

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/4550399-181/mendocino-county-homicide-victims-mother

Rachel Sloan disappeared three years ago. Earlier this month, investigators confirmed her remains were found in 2013, bringing additional grief to her family. Her mother was murdered in 1998.

MENDO & AV SCHOOLS’ DEPRESSING STANDARDIZED TEST RESULTS

Last spring and for the first time, California schools administered the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) test, part of the Common Core initiative, which replaced the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) system of yesteryear. Students in grades three through eight and high school juniors were given online tests (bye bye, bubbles) divided into English and math sections. The results were released earlier this month. Overall English varies somewhat by class-year in Mendocino County and in Anderson Valley. In English, only about 30% of Mendo students met or exceeded the state-set standard, compared to 44 percent in California as a whole. In math, Mendo was downright sad with less than one-quarter of Mendo’s students meeting or exceeding the math “standard.” Make all the excuses you want — poverty, English not a first language, rural, standardized tests don’t tell you much, on and on and on. It’s still bad.

NO LAUGHING MATTER

To the Editor:

Thank you, Dan Houck

My partner and I were profoundly moved by Dan Houck's account of his wife Loretta's fall from the back of his truck and her subsequent brain injury. ("It Began As a Day Like Any Other," AVA, 9/23/15).

Dan set the stage with vivid detail, at the start of a much anticipated camping weekend at the couple's favorite local event, the Anderson Valley Beer Fest.

Although many of us know Dan as a funnyman on his KZYX radio show, "The Treehouse," the accident was no laughing matter. How grateful we felt to the Anderson Valley paramedics who got Loretta safely and quickly on a helicopter to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. How relieved we were that Dan's friends helped him through that terrible night as he came to understand the gravity of his beloved partner's injury.

We pray that Loretta will be home and out of rehab soon and that Dan will be back on the air making us laugh again.

Thank you, Dan, for sharing your story. And thanks to the AVA for running it. A more conventional newspaper might not have found the "news hole" for such an in-depth personal essay.

Jane Futcher

Longvale

WARRANT WEDNESDAY! Kelly Loretz is wanted on a NO BAIL felony warrant for conspiracy to commit a crime and assault with a deadly weapon.

Height: 5' 7" - Age: 29 -
Hair: Brown - Eyes: Green -
Weight: 130 lbs.

TESLA CEO Elon Musk revealed the long-awaited Model X sport-utility vehicle Tuesday night at the company factory just south of San Francisco. Billed as the world’s quickest SUV, the electric crossover can go from 0 to 60 mph in as little as 3.2 seconds and has a range of 250 miles per charge. The new car includes a windshield that lets you see the sky above you as well its signature feature of radical upward-opening “falcon doors” for the second row. The Model X will determine whether Tesla can compete against luxury automakers like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Lexus in the crossover market. The new vehicle comes with a pricetag starting at $132,000 for the initial “signature” version.

I WAS RAISED CATHOLIC. To me the Church is just a giant evil transnational corporation operating on a dreary business model, one that nurtures debilitating guilt feelings in its followers and then offers to make them go away temporarily in exchange for donations. I realize the Church does some nice things with the money it raises and that other people have a different opinion, but this is my experience. And this pope, for all his good qualities, is to me a modern version of an old religious scam. In Tsarist Russia you'd have some wizened starets show up at an aristocrat's estate in rags and preach to the ladies of the house about the evils of wealth in exchange for wine, pastries and a few nights in a feather bed. This version is a pope arriving in America with a gazillion-member entourage to reassure young professionals in New York how right they are about climate change and income inequality. He says a lot of very vague things about the wrongs of society that everyone is sure coincide with their own opinions. George Will is right when he says Francis speaks "in the intellectual tone of a fortune cookie," saying things like, "People occasionally forgive, but nature never does." Meanwhile Francis chugs along as the head of one of the most socially regressive organizations on earth, doing nothing to take on the Church's indefensible stances on things like birth control, gay rights, discrimination against women, celibacy and countless other issues. He claims the moral authority to reform global capitalism, but he's somehow not ready to tell teenagers it's OK to masturbate, which seems bizarre. People have such impassioned political fights over the pope because everyone wants the endorsement of the guy closest to God. But what if he's not closer to God, and is just a guy in a funny hat? Doesn't that make all this fuss and controversy ridiculous? It seems strange that it's the year 2015, and we still can't say that out loud.

— Matt Taibbi

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

I’d appreciate Donald Trump’s opinion on the controversial State of Georgia execution of Kelly Gissendaner last night. No holding back either. I want it as blunt and brash as is his wont.

Here was her last meal. Who wouldn’t kill for a fine meal like this? The buttermilk on the side was a nice touch. It reminds me of Deputy Sheriff Enos Strate from Dukes of Hazard.

According to the Georgia Department of Corrections, Gissendaner has asked for cornbread, buttermilk, two Whoppers with cheese and all the trimmings, two large orders of French fries, cherry vanilla ice cream, popcorn and lemonade. She also wants a salad with boiled eggs, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, carrots and cheese to be topped with Paul Newman buttermilk dressing.

Update: That was her request back in February of 2015 before her execution was stayed due to a last minute appeal. Since then, she changed her request to Texas Fajitas and cheese dip and chips with a frosted lemonade. The woman had great taste in food, you have to admit. And isn’t it merciful of The State to allow this pleasant and amusing little ritual for their sacrifices to Moloch? It’s so sweet.

THE DARAPRIM DRUG SCANDAL

by Franklin Graham

How can a life-saving drug (Daraprim) that has been widely available since the 1940s for $1 suddenly cost $740? Is this what the FDA's mission is when it says it exists "to promote and protect the public health"? Before a Wall Street wolf lands on your doorstep, should you face a life-threatening disease, consider the case of Martin Shkreli.

Background: Predator Drug Pricing and the FDA:

In July 2013, I reported in the AVA on the price manipulation of colchicine. For decades colchicine was available to millions of gout sufferers for as little as 4 cents a pill. But through a series of murky, under-the-radar dealings, with FDA complicity, a shadowy generic manufacturer acquired exclusive marketing rights and jacked up the price to $5.00 a pill. This is just one example of a generic drug that has been grabbed up by profiteers trolling for pure profit at the expense of patients who suffer, often from a life-threatening disease.

There are a number of ways this sort of thing happens. Say a mainstream pharmaceutical decides to unload a drug that is no longer protected by copyright, and thus not a big profit center. Along comes a manufacturer of generic drugs, one not into research and development of new drugs. It buys up the existing formulary and gets FDA approval as exclusive distributor. Suddenly the price goes through the roof.

A second method is for an "entrepreneur" to create a company for the express purpose of cherry-picking a generic or "orphan" drug to mine for profit. It gets FDA approval to market the drug and pays (let's not call it a bribe) existing producers to abandon marketing their brand of the generic. This clears the way to jack up the price. They may even claim that they need to charge an outrageous sum for the generic in order to research and develop new drugs, though that is not in truth their intent. The FDA, it seems, has no intention of verifying such claims, nor enforcement powers to curb such predatory practices.

Smoking Gun Examples:

Here is a small sample of generic medicines that have been targeted by so-called pharmaceuticals for the sole purpose of making huge profits at the expense of patients facing life-threatening illnesses:

Rodelis Therapeutics: In 2003 Eli Lilly sells its tuberculosis drug (Cycloserine), available since the 1950s, to companies in India, China, and South Africa. The treatment of 2 pills per day cost $20 for 100 pills. When Rodelis Therapeutics obtains the U.S. marketing rights, the cost goes viral, at $500 for 30 pills. A two year treatment could cost as much as $500,000. How can a $292 cure morph into a $500,000 windfall for a so-called pharmaceutical company that neither incurred research and development costs, nor has any history of developing new drugs?

KV Pharmaceutical: In 2011, Drug 170HP cost $280 for a 12 week treatment that prevents premature birth in at-risk women. Enter KV Pharma, a company founded to exploit "orphan" generic drugs. Overnight the same treatment escalates to $28,800.

21 Company "Conglomerate": In 2013, the FDA declared an emergency in the supply chain for Doxycycline, a generic antibiotic used to treat malaria, gonorrhea, urinary tract infections, and other maladies. A bottle of 30 pills cost $20. Suddenly, a 30 pill bottle is $1,849. Among the manufacturers is TEVA, an Israeli Pharmaceutical Company specializing in generics. Other distributors of Doxycycline include companies in India, China, a host of other countries. And, with all these companies vying for a market niche, the FDA declares a "supply emergency" and opens a floodgate for profiteers preying on the sick?

Retrophin Pharmaceuticals, 2011. Enter the disgraced hedge fund manager, 28 year old Martin Shkreli. He founds Retrophin in 2011 in order to mine generics for big profits. Retrophin gains the exclusive rights to manufacture and distribute Thiola (tiopronin), a drug used to treat kidney stone disease. Overnight, a pill that costs $1.50 becomes a $30 pill, a price increase of 20 times. Mr. Shkreli's insider dealing was too much even for the other stakeholders of Retrophin, who fired him.

Turing Pharmaceuticals, February, 2015. Martin Shkreli, now 32, having been fired from Retrophin in 2013, founds Turing. Still under investigation by the SEC for insider trading, which he has admitted, and with no background in drug research and development, he raises $90 million dollars, opens shop as Turing Pharma, pays Core Pharma $55 million for the exclusive rights to Daraprim, with the blessing of the FDA. On the market since the 1940s, Daraprim treats a parasitic disease, toxoplasmosis, which often afflicts HIV/AIDS patients, and others with depressed immune systems. Overnight, a $1 pill skyrockets to $740.

The New Gold Rush

The above sampling of recent raids on the generic and "orphan" drug market, with the tacit complicity of the FDA, represents but the tip of the iceberg. Left unrestrained, such price increases are not only outrages; they also pose an existential threat to the health care system itself. Every American is put at risk by drug prices that are far out of proportion to the costs involved in research and development and healthy levels of profit. Many of the "Pharmaceuticals" involved in this price spiking GoldRush have no history of R/D. They have no intent to use profits for R/D. They are in business solely to milk the victims and health care insurers/providers of vast sums of money for the sole benefit of owners and stockholders.

Mr. Martin Shkreli: Example Par Excellence:

How then, does a disgraced hedge fund manager, at age 28 (in 2011) qualify to open up shop as a drug manufacturer? Simple: He convinces greedy investors that mining generic drugs is the New Gold Rush, a way to make a "killing" at the expense of patients with life-threatening illnesses, who will pay anything to stay alive. His lawyers find ways to gain FDA approval as a "pharmaceutical", all the while the SEC investigation into his admitted insider trading plods along with no indictment in sight. As for the FDA, anyone who wants to can open up shop as a manufacturer/distributor of FDA approved drugs.

When the story of the price spike appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and other publications, a torrent of denunciations came down on Mr. Shkreli. His action was termed "outrageous," and "repulsive." Even Donald Trump weighed in, calling Mr. Shkreli nothing more than a "spoiled brat." Members of Congress have written letters denouncing this and other price spikes, but there is no suggestion, whatsoever, that elected officials, the ones who make the laws, have any inclination to curb such abuses. Indeed, every candidate for national elective office is well aware that the pharmaceutical industry is a prime source of campaign dollars, and it does no good to bite the hand that feeds them. They may decry such practices, but do not expect any actions until the tide of public opinion turns decidedly against such practices.

Has the furor over Mr. Shkreli's behavior caused him to recant? On the contrary, his is quoted as saying:

"We might have to curtail research for several lethal diseases that we are seeking treatments for." This from a company founded in 2015, with no research and development program?

I think I know more about toxoplasmosis than anyone in the world." This comes from a 32 year-old disgraced hedge fund manager with NO qualification to speak on matters related to medical treatments of any kind?

From Shkreli's twitter, "And it seems the media immediately points a finger at me? So I point one back at them, but not the index or pinkie." The message is, Go F*ck Yourself.

A quote given The Guardian, "I don't think much about the wider world. I think about my patients." What is this? He is now saying those who suffer and need Daraprim to stay alive, perhaps to the tune of $500,000 a year cost, are HIS patients?

"This drug saves your life for..." At this price it is a no brainer."

He said at $50,000. Clearly, Shkreli thinks he has found the magic formula for fleecing desperate patients, insurers, and the health care system in general, ordinary tax payers included.

*Shkreli, " We need to turn a profit on this drug." In order "to help create better medicines for the future." Until recently, a profit could be made at $1. Even when the price in 2003 increased to $13.50, no one complained too much. But, at $740 a pill, well!

Shkreli on CNBC, on Monday, defends his actions. "At this price Daraprim is still on the lower end of what drugs cost." "And, we are certainly not the first company to raise drug prices." Does this mean that Shkreli has more surprises in store?

And so the airways continue to play out this sordid drama, with Shkreli calling critics "morons." Fear not, without sustained attention on the part of citizens and the health care industry as a whole, the air will go out of this balloon, and Shkreli will continue to troll for more ways to "make a comfortable profit."

Political Theatrics

In the last few years, a number of congressmen and senators have spoken out about the growing crisis in drug pricing. Such protestations have come, predictably, from Democrats. Beyond expressing their concerns, however, nothing comes of their efforts. It is not a priority of the Obama Administration. Worse, the pending trade agreements that Obama is building his "legacy" around contain patent and intellectual property rights provisions that will only serve to open wider the gateways to exploitation of American markets. The drug supply chain will become yet one more area where China, India, Japan, and others discover a rich market to exploit.

When news of Martin Shkreli's latest outrageous price hike hit the airways, the first to raise serious concern was Bernie Sanders. Of course, that could have been expected from a "socialist" Senator running for president. The mainstream media, naturally, is good at marginalizing any candidate with real solutions. Not to be outdone, Hilary Clinton saw that it was not wise to leave the issue to an opponent. She weighed in with a plan to limit out of pocket expenses to the patient for prescription drugs to $540 a year. What if she were to get her way? That would do nothing to actually lower the cost of drugs, let alone the outrageous spikes due to the entrance of predatory start-ups determined to make a killing while the killing is good. The costs would simply be passed on to taxpayers through Medicaid, Medicare, VA-care, health insurance rate increases, you name it. Clearly, simply passing the costs down the line is no solution. One analyst and stockbroker clearly identified the core of the problem, "the initial reaction is often overstated. From the viewpoint of any politician, talking about the pharmaceutical industry is a very strong area to get airtime but it's very hard to enact reform. (Panmire Gordon).

Hard questions need to be addressed. How much do drug costs in America contribute to making the nation's health care system at least twice as expensive as any other industrialized country on earth? Would it be so terrible to initiate something like Canada's Crown Corporation, which serves to produce generic and orphan drugs at reasonable cost AND return a profit to the government coffers? No wonder large numbers of desperately ill people flock to Canadian websites for less expensive drugs.

Who can doubt that the American health care system, including its drug industry is in need of a drastic overhaul. One thing that Mr. Shkreli has shown is that our drug industry in increasingly being given over to profiteers whose motto appears to be that the patients and the public are "MORONS." America is, as we are told, all about business, not saving lives or treating people like human beings. Spiking the price of drugs is "a great business decision that also benefits all our stockholders. I don't expect the likes of you to process that." (Martin Shkreli.)

(Franklingraham@hotmail.com)

CATCH OF THE DAY, September 30, 2015

STEPHEN BARNES, New Bedford, Massachussetts/Garberville. DUI.

GERALD BLACKBURN, Fort Bragg. Drug/paraphernalia/meth possession, resisting, probation revocation.

ERIN BLACKWELL, Ukiah. Drunk in public. (Frequent flyer.)

JOHN BOLTON IV, Willits. Drunk in public. (Frequent flyer.)

WILLIAM BOYCE, Ukiah. Community Supervision violation.

DAVID BREW, Sacramento/Ukiah. Metal knuckles, dirk-dagger, resisting.

CASEY BROWN, Sebring, Florida/Ukiah. DUI w/priors.

MARTIN CASTRO, Hopland. Assault with deadly weapon not a gun, drug/paraphernalia possession, trespassing.

EDWARD FELKINS, Assault with deadly weapon not a gun, suspended license.

HOLLY FERRETTA, Laytonville. Pot cultivation, processing, possession for sale.

ROBERT FICARRA, Redwood Valley. Protective order violation.

KARL GAGE, Covelo. Probation revocation.

PATRICK HERBSTRITT, Laytonville. Drunk in public.

NOEY JOHNSON JR., Ukiah. Community Supervision violation.

REBECCA KING, New Bedford, Massachussetts/Laytonville. Drunk in public.

PHILIP PERRY, Petaluma/Willits. DUI.

FERNANDO PINEDA-BARRERA, San Francisco/Ukiah. DUI.

JESSICA SMITH, Ukiah. Domestic battery, suspended license.

THE NEWS THAT CAN’T WAIT

by Almudena Grandes

When he heard the sound of his cell phone, he was crossing The Gran Via near Callao Street. If any other melody had sounded, he would have continued walking, but the trumpets of the 7th Cavalry Regimental March is the theme song of his best friend, and Edu doesn’t normally waste his time with WhatsApp. So he took his cell phone out of his bag, hit a key, and suddenly felt like he had been left all alone in the world.

He was walking across the Gran Via at the most populous crossing in Madrid, but his feet stayed as stuck to the asphalt as his eyes were to the screen of his cell phone. A girl bumped into him, but he hardly noticed. Nor was he capable of moving a few centimeters to the side to allow the passage of an old man with a walker, although a woman with a South American accent succinctly asked him to do so. Later he would not recall this: neither the woman, who had called him rude, nor anything except the barrage of insults, horns, and running engines that obliged him to move to the opposite sidewalk.

He wasn’t sure of when it all began, but he knew somehow everything started in pre K on a Friday in March when Olmo Rivera announced to the entire class that everyone was invited to his birthday party except him. That he did remember — and that he was five years old, and that he cried when he told his parents about it, and that they said it was nothing important.

When he was five, Daniel was fat, but he didn’t realize it. His aunts and uncles, his cousins made gentle jokes about it — they said he looked like a teddy bear and this made them want to hug him, but no one picked on him.

That also was a thing Olmo had started when they were in elementary school. Fat, greasy, disgusting, a string of sausages…are what Olmo called him and he put his hands on the side of his head when Daniel was about to sit down as if Daniel were going to break the chair, mocked him in gym class, moving his hands to the sides of his body as if an ocean of fat moved under the skin, and running with his tongue hanging out. Everyone laughed a lot. Later, Olmo’s deputy, bodyguard, and flatterer, Iker Gonzáles, perfected the circus act so that everyone could laugh even harder. Everyone laughed at him so much that the year of his ninth birthday, not one of his classmates, not one, invited him to their birthday parties although most of them had attended his. This stopped two years later, but by then birthday parties were no longer important because he had met Edu.

He arrived suddenly in the middle of the school year and everyone in the school agreed he was strange. Because he didn’t talk very much; because it didn’t bother him to be alone; because he never looked for trouble — however he walked very erect with his chin held high and a defiant look in his eyes that suggested that it was best not to mess with him. Daniel didn’t seek his friendship, but on a school trip to a farm, no one wanted to share a bunk with either of the two boys so that they alone had to share a room for six.

”So what’s with you?” asked Edu the first night so that Daniel had to tell the entire story, from that birthday party in Pre-K. “Yeah, I know all about that. Why do you think I changed schools in March?”

That happened eight and a half years ago and since then everything has changed except the two continue to be best friends. Daniel isn’t thin, but he isn’t fat. Edu isn’t the best conversationalist in the world, but has stopped being the boy that never talks. They can no longer be together all the time because Edu is studying biology while Daniel has chosen philosophy, but they see each other every week.

And it’s no longer just the two of them. Both have other male friends and also female friends. Edu has a part-time girlfriend, Daniel a full-time girlfriend. They go to the gymnasium together and share the same English teacher.

Daniel was on his way to the class when he received the news that could not wait for the fifteen minutes it would take to meet up with Edu.

Olmo Rivera and Iker González had died in a multiple car traffic accident that had brought all traffic to a standstill on Highway M-30.

The driver, the message did not specify which one of the two, died instantly. The passenger died just minutes before reaching the hospital. Neither had his seatbelt fastened.

Daniel read the words again and again.

He remembered the many times he had wished them dead, and was surprised how much he regretted it at this moment.

BERNIE

by Marilyn Davin

We live and grow – and with wisdom, knowledge, and experience may reconsider some of our opinions about things. But what we can’t or shouldn’t do is change our fundamental principles. Our principles are different from the things we might have thought at one time, say, about how long a boy’s hair should be or whether a downtown building should be two or four stories high. Our principles are the bedrock upon which our moral compasses are calibrated; and when we see someone violate those principles, that person is forever diminished in our eyes.

Like, sadly, Hillary Clinton, who says she’s all for peace but voted consistently in the U.S Senate to pour billions more into the endless and unwinnable war in the Middle East; who says she supports middle-class Americans but just had to vote to give hundreds of billions of our tax dollars to the banks that stole our money; or, until very recently, charged public universities north of $300,000 for a 15-minute speech while wringing her hands over the skyrocketing cost of tuition. I know, she says she gave the money to the Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton Foundation, which is mostly true. But that’s not the point. If colleges can shell out that kind of scratch for a speaker they should give it instead to the students who will be in hock for the rest of their lives paying back their student loans. There’s nothing illegal here; it’s just…unprincipled. She’s been in the game long enough to know the difference.

It’s this lawyerly, legal-but-still-icky, talking-out-of-both-sides-of-her-mouth business that clings like tar to Hillary Clinton. The careful wording, the skillfully crafted caveats, the technical truths all add up to this queasy feeling that her constant tacking into the political wind could take us places we don’t want to go. And this money thing just doesn’t sit well. Yea, I know, there’s nothing wrong with being rich, and she did say she was “dead broke” when she left the White House. And Bill did say recently that he has to keep giving his speeches, at up to $750,000 a pop, because “somebody has to pay our bills” now that Hillary has had to scale back because she’s running for President. The Clintons’ combined net worth was recently reported by the New York Times to be more than $120 million.

Bernie Sanders, self-described socialist Independent from Vermont, doesn’t have any of these problems. And it’s a big part of why he’s caught fire in the fledgling 2016 presidential campaign to win the Democratic nomination. He doesn’t have a Super PAC and doesn’t take money from big corporations. He’s the longest-running Independent in the history of the U.S. Congress but has a reported net worth of $528,014. Last year he earned $1,867.42 in speaker fees, and he gave most of it away to charity. He’s a smart guy, and I’m sure if he wanted to he could figure out a way to parlay his Senate access into a money machine, as so many before him have done. The latest calculations by OpenSecrets.org reveal that, with a median net worth of $1,008,767, for the first time in American history, the majority of members in the 113^th Congress are millionaires.

Sanders may not be rich by congressional standards but what he has is a wealth of integrity. His life, open for all to see, is by all accounts lived according to that steady moral compass, solidly grounded in his life-long principles. It’s a big part of why thousands of Americans are crowding into town halls and high school gyms to listen to him, and why he’s within striking distance of Clinton in recent polls. Those crowds know what Sanders is going to say because he’s been saying it for more than four decades. They know how he’s going to vote because he’s always voted for the same things – even when it’s meant he’s had to swim upstream against the current.

Looking at their respective voting records during the two years Clinton and Sanders shared in the U.S. Senate, the New York Times reported that they voted the same way 93% of the time. But the issues that divided them are telling: Sanders voted against funding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and against bailing out the banks during the Great Recession. Clinton voted yae on both. Sanders voted against the 2008 civilian nuclear deal with India; Clinton voted for it. Sanders voted with a small minority to transfer Guantanamo prisoners – most to this day never charged with a crime – to prisons in the U.S. Clinton voted against it. These are not trivial issues. They reveal the very different lenses through which each candidate views the world. This country would be a different place today if Sander’s votes had prevailed instead of Clinton’s. We wouldn’t have thrown trillions of dollars to the winds in the Middle East and more trillions of dollars to bail out the banks, only to have them, ironically, laugh all the way to the bank and reinstate their lavish bonuses a scant year later while millions of Americans lost their homes.

Sander’s votes, which all came down on the losing side, represent his principles: in the first instance to reject arrogant American adventurism and say no to the senseless deaths of thousands of Americans and hundreds of thousands of civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan; in the second, to refuse to support the big-money interests that ripped us off – and got away clean.

Sanders is a long shot. And I’ll end up voting for Clinton if she’s the Democratic candidate. But maybe she won’t be. The winds of change could be upon us. Maybe Democrats are finally fed up enough to make the bold choice to vote for Sanders and his egalitarian fundamental principles. Sometimes long shots win — and when they do they bring the sweetest reward.

SOLAR SOLUTIONS

Dear Friends & Neighbors,

As we write this note, we are watching the seasons change outside our office windows in Little River. Like most everyone these days, we're feeling like it's just about time for a wet autumn. If only we had the solution to make it rain....

As we face modern human-made environmental concerns, especially global climate change, it's all to easy to feel overwhelmed and to wonder what one individual or family can do to make a difference.

At Mendocino Solar Service, we take heart in knowing that, although solar may not resolve every environmental problem, solar energy certainly is one solution to a myriad of problems.

The best solutions are usually the simplest ones, and with no moveable parts, a solar energy system is actually pretty simple in concept.

Solar energy is produced and used on-site, increasing energy independence. Solar energy empowers households and businesses to reduce consumption of 'dirty' and water guzzling energy sources, such as coal and nuclear power.

Grid-tied solar provides a financial solution to energy costs. With net metering, homeowners with on-grid solar energy systems can sell excess power production to PG&E to help manage their energy costs year round, meaning that more and more of the power being fed into the grid is from clean, green solar energy.

Solar energy also is a financial solution to energy costs because it empowers home and business owners to invest in energy costs upfront, to receive a large pay off in energy savings over the life of the system.

With streamlined building permits, and plenty of practical experience, converting a home to solar these days is a straightforward process, that we make happen for about two dozen local homeowners every year. Solar is a solution that works.

Wondering how solar might work for your home or business? We're happy to help provide answers that could lead to lasting solutions for you, and for our planet. Call us at 707-937-1701, email admin@mendocinosolar.com, stop by our Facebook page, or visit our website to request a complementary on-site solar evaluation.

Warm regards,

Bruce Erickson & Maggie Watson, CoOwners, Mendocino Solar Service

MONARCH BUTTERFLY HABITAT RESCUE WITH SEED BOMBS

Wednesday, October 21^st, 6:00-7:30 pm

Back by popular demand! Enjoy this hands-on event. Make Seed Bombs filled with Monarch Butterfly habitat restoration seeds. You will take these clay capsules home to your gardens and neighborhoods to create beautiful, beneficial habitat for butterflies.

This is a fun event for all ages and is sponsored by the Friends of the Ukiah Library.

HOW WATER IS PRICED IN CALIFORNIA

From the Public Policy Institute of California

HUFF PUFF

Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) today introduced the Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act of 2015, which would prohibit new or renewed oil and gas leasing in the Arctic Ocean Planning Areas of the Outer Continental Shelf. Today’s bill introduction comes on the heels of Royal Dutch Shell’s announcement that it will end drilling operations in the Arctic Ocean “for the foreseeable future.” Huffman’s bill would effectively bring a permanent end to drilling operations in the area.

“Oil drilling in the harsh and dangerous Arctic Ocean carries unacceptable risks. An oil spill in the Arctic would be an environmental catastrophe that would pollute and cripple the ocean ecosystem, harming wildlife and damaging fragile shores for decades to come,” said Huffman.

“Today’s news that Shell will end all Arctic drilling is a welcome victory for the marine environment, but Congress must now act to permanently protect the Arctic Ocean and put it off-limits to any future irresponsible drilling proposals. The Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act would keep Alaska’s environment safe, permanently.”

This August, Rep. Huffman visited Alaska and toured the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the 19.64 million acre home to endangered species threatened by Arctic Ocean oil drilling operations. Huffman is author of the bipartisan Udall-Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act, which would protect the Wildlife Refuge’s 1.5 million-acre Coastal Plain as wilderness, codifying into law permanent protections from damaging activities like oil drilling.

The Department of Interior estimates a 75 percent chance of one or more large oil spills as a result of drilling in the Arctic. Should an oil spill occur, between 44% and 62% of spilled crude oil would remain in open water or broken ice longer than 30 days, neither dispersing nor evaporating.

The Arctic region is home to one of the world’s most delicate ecosystems, extreme and treacherous conditions, and severely limited capacity to respond to an oil spill or accident. The site of the worst environmental disaster America has ever faced, the Deepwater Horizon explosion, was approximately 132 air miles away from the nearest Coast Guard Station. In contrast, proposals by Shell Oil Company to drill in the Chukchi Sea are over 900 air miles from the nearest Coast Guard station in Kodiak and over 1,200 miles from the nearest deep-water port in Dutch Harbor.

Specifically, this legislation:

Acknowledges that global climate change is occurring due largely to anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases and will continue to pose ongoing risks and challenges to the people and the government of the United States;

Recognizes that in order to manage the Arctic Ocean for the best interest of the people, the United States must, in part, keep fossil fuels in the ground to avoid the most dangerous impacts of climate change;

Prohibits new leasing for the exploration, development or production of oil, natural gas or any other minerals in the Arctic Ocean; and

Prohibits the renewal of any existing leases for the same.

Huffman’s bill is supported by the following organizations:

Alaska Wilderness League, Center For Biological Diversity, Chukchi Sea Watch, Defenders Of Wildlife, Earthjustice, Environment America, Environmental Investigation Agency, Eyak Preservation Council, Friends Of The Earth, Greenpeace, League Of Conservation Voters, Natural Resources Defense Council, Northern Alaska Environmental Center, Ocean Conservation Research, Oil Change International, Sierra Club, and The Wilderness Society.

The Senate version of the Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act of 2015 was introduced by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) on July 16, 2015.

VOCATIONAL GRANTS NOW AVAILABLE

The California-Hawaii Elks Association (CHEA) is pleased to announce that applications are available to apply for a VOCATIONAL GRANT. A total of $54,000 has been approved for this year’s program. The grants can be from $500 to $2,000 with an option to renew for a second year.

The program is open to any prospective student, residing in California or Hawaii, who is an American Citizen, planning to pursue an eligible vocational/technical course. A high school diploma or GED is not required. The program is open to male and female applicants who will be judged on an equal basis. While graduating high school seniors may apply, it is not limited to high school students. It is open to all prospective students who require training or retraining to compete in the workplace.

The definition of an eligible program shall be defined as a two year or less vocational/technical program culminating in a terminal associate degree, diploma, certificate, or other evidence of completion. Applicants planning to pursue a four year Bachelor’s degree are not eligible to apply. A student must plan to carry at least 12 semester credit hours (or equivalent) each term. A course must be a minimum of 60 days of continuous full-time study.

Applications are online at www.chea-elks.org/youthactivities/scholarships. The application must be printed out, completed, and turned in with attachments to the Elks Lodge closest to applicant’s residence. This must be done within 3 months of downloading the application.

Contact Information:

Mike Dewey, Scholarship Chairman
Ukiah Elks Lodge #1728
1200 Hastings Road
Ukiah, Ca. 95482
(707) 462-1728
ukiahelkslodge@sbcglobal.net

EXPERTS REVEAL MANY TERMINAL FLAWS OF DELTA TUNNELS EIR

by Dan Bacher

On the same day that Californians for Water Security, the "coalition" established to rally support for Jerry Brown's massive Delta Tunnels, announced they were approaching their first anniversary, a panel of experts convened by Restore the Delta revealed the alarming information that they have discovered so about the project after reading through the 48,000 page Environmental Impact Report (EIR).

In an email statement to their supporters on September 29, Californians for Water Security claimed, "the coalition has achieved so much in the past year, thanks to the active participation of you and all of our coalition members. But it’s not time for celebration. It’s time to continue the work."

"This next year could be the most important year in moving the California Water Fix from planning to construction. In the next year, we’ll have important decisions on the environmental impact report; local water agencies and contractors will make key decisions on future support; key state and federal agencies will hold hearings and determine positions on CA Water Fix; and much more," the group wrote.

"You know how important the CA Water Fix is to the future of California’s water security. That’s why we hope we can count on continued support from you and our more than 150 organizational members and more than 16,000 citizens who support the project," the "coalition" (http://watersecurityca.com) claimed.

However, the experts speaking in the Restore the Delta teleconference painted a very bleak, much different picture about the "future of California's water security" for fish, wildlife, the environment and the people of California if the proposed California Water Fix, the Delta Tunnels project formerly known as the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP), is somehow approved by the permitting agencies.

They noted that this giant project will cost California tax and ratepayers between $15 and $60 billion — "one of California’s largest public investments to date." And there will be no public vote, unlike in 1982 when the voters turned down the original peripheral tunnel plan by a huge margin.

For the complete statements by each expert on the panel and the audio of the event, you can go to: http://restorethedelta.org/blog/delta-tunnels-eir-what-do-we-know-so-far/

Jeffrey Michael Ph.D., Director, Center for Business and Policy Research, University of the Pacific, spoke on "Water Yields, Economics and Missing Alternatives," exposing how the project is not economically or financially feasible.

"First, an EIR must describe the project accurately," said Michael. "The Delta Tunnels EIR/EIS describes a project that is not economically or financially feasible due to its minimal water yields. Specifically, the EIR/EIS describes water exports with the $16 billion tunnels will only average about 250,000 acre feet more each year than under No Action."

"That’s about 16,000 acre feet of unreliable, untreated water per $1 billion of capital cost, an incredibly low return on investment. For comparison, the highest cost alternatives like desalination plants deliver over 50,000 acre feet of highly reliable, purified water for the same capital investment," noted Michael.

Robert Wright, Senior Counsel for Friends of the River, reported on the devastating impacts that Tunnels Plan would have on endangered species, including Sacramento River Chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead, green sturgeon and Delta and longfin smelt.

"The Delta Water Tunnels would instead destroy endangered and threatened fish species," said Wright. "The Tunnels would divert for the Central Valley and State Water Projects vast quantities of freshwater from the Sacramento River near Clarksburg that would no longer flow through the lower Sacramento River, sloughs, and Delta. This would jeopardize the continued existence of endangered and threatened species of fish and adversely modify their designated critical habitat by taking away freshwater flows for Winter Run Chinook salmon, spring-run Chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead, green Sturgeon, and Delta smelt."

Besides jeopardizing the continued existence of endangered Central Valley salmon and steelhead and Delta and longfin smelt, the tunnels also imperil the salmon and steelhead runs on the Trinity and Klamath rivers, since a large percentage of the water from the Trinity River is diverted to the Sacramento River system and the Delta for export to corporate agribusiness interests on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley.

Osha Meserve, North Delta Water rights attorney, exposed how the state and federal agencies were currently forging forward with key permits while the environmental review process is still underway.

"Signaling their commitment to a deeply flawed project, the project rushed forward with its major water right and wetland fill permit applications this month," said Meserve. "In its submittal to the State Water Resources Control Board, tunnel applicants claimed they owned the roughly forty parcels of land necessary to construct the three tunnels that can convey 9000 cubic feet per second of water. Keep in mind the highest the river has flowed near the proposed tunnel intakes is 8400 cfs this month."

"Later, after we pointed out the error, DWR submitted an errata sheet and tried to excuse its misrepresentations because the form was not usable for a project this large. DWR also had to amend its application to show that every water user in the Delta – over three thousand water rights — may be injured by the project from the changes in water quality, quantity and levels the project will cause," she explained.

Tim Stroshane, water policy analyst for Restore the Delta, revealed the alarming impact the tunnels would have on the San Francisco Bay- Delta Estuary, the largest estuary on the West Coast of the Americas.

Stroshane said, "Harmful algal blooms are expected to increase due to the Tunnels, consuming most or all dissolved oxygen in the water, and suffocating oxygen-respiring organisms like fish. Blue-green algae, such as one species called Microcystis, can also produce 'cyanotoxins' that pose a significant potential threat to wildlife, dogs, and human beings, and exposure can cause liver cancer in humans."

"Tunnels' reports acknowledge that 'increases in the frequency, magnitude, and geographic extent of Microcystis blooms in the Delta would occur relative to Existing Conditions,' increasing a dangerous ecological and public health threat," he disclosed.

Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Executive Director of Restore the Delta, discussed "Politics vs. Sustainability" in the Tunnels Plan. She criticized the project for being a "legacy project" inherited from Governor Jerry Brown's father "created on flawed logic" - and urged the Governor to "do the right thing" and drop the tunnels project.

"This repackaging of the Delta tunnels will waste up to $60 billion dollars without creating any new water, won’t help desperate communities during the drought, or fund innovative water conservation, stormwater capture, or water recycling projects that cities are eager to build for resilience in a changing climate," she said.

"Californians now face a huge decision. Should we commit $60 billion (after bond repayment and operation costs are considered) to construct twin 40 foot-wide, 35 mile-long, tunnels to export what water is left for almonds for export and speculative development – in the year 2031? Or are we going to protect the most magnificent and important estuary on the west coast of the Americas?" asked Barrigan-Parrilla.

She concluded, "Governor Brown has inherited a legacy project from his father that was created on flawed logic – an overextended water supply, even back in the 1960s. With climate change, snowpack will continue to diminish in the Sacramento River watershed and more rain will fall at the coast. Instead of continuing to cling stubbornly to this flawed family legacy, Governor Brown needs to do the right thing for the future of the state he loves. He needs to drop the tunnels project once and for all, and use his office to create a Marshall plan for water sustainability for all Californians, not just mega growers in Westlands and the Kern County Water District, and certainly not for the Metropolitan Water District."

The comment period ends for the California Water Fix ends on October 30, 2015, so Californians now have only one month left to submit comments on the Environmental Impact Report for the proposed Delta Tunnels project. If you haven't submitted your comment yet, now's the time to do it!

Public Comments on the Delta EIR/EIS can be submitted to: BDCP/California WaterFix Comments

P.O. Box 1919

Sacramento, CA 95812

BDCPComments [at] icfi.com

You can also sign the petition to oppose the Delta Tunnels at:

http://www.change.org/p/take-action-oppose-the-delta-tunnels