Mendocino County Today: Friday, Oct 16, 2015

• Asha Missing
• Construction Accident
• FB Burglary
• Golden Rule
• White Art
• Disposable Backtrack
• Felony Assault
• Pacific Coast
• Endless War
• Creek Hikes
• Sammy
• Yesterday's Catch
• Capitalistic Agenda
• Warrant Wednesday
• Fire Damage
• Poet Reading
• Hillary's Birthday
• Sounds Promising
• Amazon Smile
• Knife v Taser
• Breeding Superbugs
• Gleaning Party
• Whisky Settlement
• Groundwater Management
• Free Drink
• Jail Fail
• NaNoWriMo

THIS YOUNG WOMAN, Asha Kreimer, in a state of extreme emotional meltdown, was "evaluated" at Coast Hospital by a representative of our privatized mental health services and pronounced good to go. She has been missing for nearly a month now.

* * *

Our daughter, sister and friend Asha went missing from Rollerville Cafe in Point Arena, CA on September 21, 2015 around 9:30 am.

She was in the middle of a mental health crisis. She did not have ID, money, credit card, phone or any traceable items. She was wearing black skinny jeans and a dark gray hoodie. She was also shoeless.

We are incredibly worried for the safety of Asha. We have been searching non stop in the area where she went missing from and haven't got any new leads. She has been missing for nearly a month.

We are trying to raise money to hire a private investigator. We have ehausted the beneficial assistance of the local authorities and need to expand the search on a national level. This can be a very expensive service but Asha deserves the best.

We miss our daughter, sister and friend more than words can say. We just want to know that Asha is safe and not in any mental turmoil. We miss her loving kindness and quick humor.

There is no shame in mental health issues. We are here with open hearts. Please help us find Asha and bring closure to this nightmare.

https://www.facebook.com/asha.kreimer

https://www.gofundme.com/656da8y4

FORT BRAGG CONSTRUCION WORKER INJURED in construction accident near McKerricher Beach

On October 15, 2015, at approximately 7:30am, Andrew Sabini, 69, of Lakeport, was driving a Kenworth and Belly Dump X2 at an idling speed north through the closed construction zone located east of Highway 1 just south of Seaside Beach near McKerricher State Park/Beach. As Sabini’s vehicle was dumping dirt into the construction zone when his rear trailer shifted from the uneven terrain and pinned a nearby pedestrian construction worker, Michael Martinez, 57, of Fort Bragg, up against the concrete barrier wall of Highway 1. Martinez suffered moderate injuries and was transported by ambulance to the Fort Bragg Coast Hospital for medical treatment. Drugs and alcohol were determined not to be factors in this industrial incident.

(CHP Press Release)

BURGLARY AT THAI CAFÉ IN FORT BRAGG

On October 13, 2015, at approximately 11:50am, Officers of the Fort Bragg Police Department were dispatched to 500 S. Main Street (GG’s Thai Café) for the report of a commercial burglary. Upon arrival, officers determined that an unknown subject had broken a small window on the east end of the building, then reached inside and opened the rear entry/kitchen door of the business to gain entry. It was determined that several bottles of wine and beer were taken from the business, along with the cash register and other miscellaneous personal property belonging to the owners. The suspect ransacked the interior of the business and additionally took a cooking pan and several expensive Japanese kitchen knives. Fort Bragg Police do not currently have any leads or suspect information and are asking that anyone with information regarding this incident, please contact Sergeant Brandon Lee of the Fort Bragg Police Department at 707-961-2800 ext. 126. Anonymous information may also be left on the Fort Bragg Police Department Crime Tip Hotline at 707-961-3049."

GOLDEN RULE DOCKS IN FORT BRAGG

More Photos from the visit of the Golden Rule historic ketch’s visit to Fort Bragg and its departure.

Background: https://www.theava.com/archives/48802

(Photos by David Gurney, except the last one of Helen, by Susie de Castro.)

* * *

HELEN, Publicity SpokesMate for "Golden Rule"

AN OUTSIDER NO LONGER

The Mendo Connection: Cate White grew up in the Anderson Valley and attended Boonville High School. She's the daughter of Al and Mary White of Ukiah.

* * *

Cate White An Outsider No Longer

by Jessica Zack

When the West Oakland artist Cate White, recipient of the Headlands Center for the Arts’ 2014-15 Tournesol Award, talks about experiencing life “outside the conversation,” she means a lot of things.

White, 44, means spending her childhood in a speck of a town in Mendocino County, “living way out in the woods with back-to-the-land hippie parents.”

She means “being comfortable on the fringes, and never having much interest in most middle-class values — security, career, material comforts — even after going to college and getting an MFA” from John F. Kennedy University in 2012.

And, until recently, White also meant that her vivid, tragicomic paintings depicting people she knows in her crime-heavy neighborhood, as well as from her trips to Ferguson, Mo., and to visit an inmate in a high-security Louisiana prison have, she says, “existed outside any art-world discourse about race and representation.”

“I’d been painting local portraits of friends and my personal life blended into this neighborhood for years, and suddenly with some attention, curators and art-world types are looking at my canvases and saying, ‘Oh, this is really charged work. You’re so brave.’ The fact that I am white and the people in my paintings are black, and that the work crosses race and class lines, can overshadow the physical experience of engaging with the paintings, and with questioning constructs of power, which is really what I’m playing with.”

Like it or not, White’s outsider status is likely to change, given the increasing attention her recent work is receiving. The prestigious Tournesol Award is granted annually to one Bay Area painter to support a full year of artistic development and a yearlong Headlands residency. White’s residency culminates in the exhibition “Cate White: Both on Earth” at the Luggage Store gallery through Nov. 7. Her paintings can also be seen on the hit Amazon series “Transparent.”

White calls painting a “tool for reconciliation” and writes in her artist’s statement that art has the power to “counter the cultural trance of normal.” The rawness and simplicity of her work — outlined figures, glitter spray paint, provocative text (“Everybody wants to be a gansta except a gansta,” for example) — evoke both Philip Guston’s cartoonlike figures and the skin-in-the-game vitality of some passionate street art.

White’s December 2014 trip to Ferguson following the grand jury’s decision not to indict police Officer Darren Wilson in the killing of unarmed teenager Michael Brown resulted in two powerful paintings in the Tournesol exhibition. “I wanted somehow to respond to what was going on, but not in any ideological way. I needed to go there and have some personal experiences. That’s how I explore larger social issues, through the intimate and the personal.”

In one, White is a naked observer in the street taking cell-phone pictures of the Michael Brown memorial, while an African American man idles in the car beside her, cop cars tucked into nearby alleys. Is she gawking? Helping spread awareness? Who’s watching whom?

(Courtesy, the San Francisco Chronicle)

PAPER PLATE REQUIREMENT ‘OFF THE TABLE’

Fort Bragg backtracks on requiring disposable utensils and plates during drought.

http://www.sfgate.com/drought/article/Fort-Bragg-rescinds-mandatory-use-of-paper-plates-6570705.php

FELONY ASSAULT. Participation in a Criminal Street Gang, Criminal Conspiracy, Child Endangerment, and Contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Victims: Earl House and Daniel Zaffarano.

Suspects: Mario Sanchez, Alex Sanchez, and four male juveniles.

On September 5, 2015 at about 2am six members of the Sureno street gang were involved in a physical altercation at Safeway. Mario Sanchez, Alex Sanchez and four juvenile gang members assaulted two adult victims, Earl House and Daniel Zaffarano. During the altercation both victims were kicked in the head multiple times causing loss of consciousness. An extended and in-depth investigation was completed following the incident in order to establish what role criminal street gangs served in the assault.

On Wednesday, October 14, the Fort Bragg Police Department, assisted by the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office, the Mendocino County Probation Department and members of the Mendocino County Multi-Agency Gang Suppression Unit, served arrest warrants on the suspects at several locations in the Fort Bragg area.

The Fort Bragg Police were successful in arresting five of the six individuals they sought, with one suspect still outstanding (wanted poster).

The adult, Alex Sanchez, and the four juveniles were arrested on various charges including 245(a)(4)PC, 182 PC & 186.22PC. One adult suspect was transported to the Mendocino County Jail and the four juvenile suspects were transported to the Mendocino County Juvenile Hall."

(MSP NOTE: Jail records indicate the 5'9", 180-pound Alex Sanchez was arrested by Fort Bragg Police @ 9:05 am Wednesday, October 14th. He was booked at the jail @ 12:15 am Thursday, October 15 @ 12:15 am on four felony & one misdemeanor charges ($75,000 bail):

Felony: Assault With Deadly Weapon W/Gbi

Felony: Participation In Criminal Street Gang

Felony: Conspiracy Two Or More Persons to Commit Any Crime

Felony: Child Abuse Or Endangerment

Misdemeanor: Contributing To Delinquency Of Minor - Encourage Any Person Under 18 Yrs To Comewithin 300, 602, Or 601 W&I

He was released from the jail @ 2:09 am this morning.)

(AVA Ed Note: Alex and Mario Sanchez were arrested last month for Assault with a deadly weapon, “picking a fight” and conspiracy to pick a fight. Yet less than a month later here they are charged with assault again along with a series of other related charges.)

DEFINING THE COAST: Jon Carroll does it best in Wednesday's Chron:

It is my contention that the Pacific Coast is, culturally speaking, one state — a long, skinny state, Chile-style, but a state nonetheless. We (Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and many points in between) have many points of similarity, and many points of dissimilarity from towns as close geographically as Spokane, Weed, Reno, Fresno and Bakersfield.

This is not an entirely good thing; Pacific Coastlines have their excesses, their fads and their unique belief systems unsupported by evidence. Perhaps we are a bit self-conscious, facile and passive-aggressive. On the other hand, we tend to be tolerant, progressive on social issues and very much interested in outdoor recreation, from strolling to free climbing.

We understand the pleasures of pleasure. We like brunch more than we like guns.

There's a particular subset of Pacific Coast land: the beach town. In general, they are laid-back, souvenir-rich, bars-with-a-seaside view sorts of places. There can be lots of rattan. Also, somewhere in town, a very large anchor.

There's bound to be hardship, too. Most seaside towns depend on local water sources, and those sources are drying up. Severe rationing is the norm. Many towns used to depend on local industry — fishing, logging, agriculture — but now are looking for other sources of income. Marijuana farming is one answer, in places where that's possible; tourism is another.

Tourism is the only way to monetize natural beauty. If that's all you got, that's what you push.

ENDLESS WAR: President Obama announced Thursday that U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan will be unchanged in 2016, further delaying plans for withdrawal from the country. "Since taking the lead for security earlier this year, Afghan forces have continued to step up," Obama said, but added that they're still "not as strong as they need to be." The 9,800 troops will instead by lowered by about 4,000 in 2017. Obama affirmed that the troops are meant to root out remaining al Qaeda elements and train Afghan forces.

BRIANA BURNS WRITES FROM WISCONSIN:

Wonder of wonders, I just got my AVA of 10/7 yesterday, on 10/13, the quickest delivery I've ever had here in Wisconsin! (Today I got the 9/23 issue!) In response to your publishing my letter to you commenting about the new culvert under 128 (and you misspelled my name, by the way, after all these years!), I asked my questions of Linda Macelwee of the Navarro River Watershed Project. She was confused at my calling it Conn Creek, as she said it was Graveyard Creek. I have since learned from John Scharfenberger that she is right. There are two creeks that come down from Lone Tree Ridge, and according to google maps, they don't show a name for Conn Creek but do show the name Graveyard Creek. So maybe the latter carries more water in the rainy season. All I know is that there used to be fishing in Conn Creek on Phil Wasson's land years ago.

As for the dam and the pipe, Linda explained that she believed it was temporary, to provide a way for any water flow during the construction of the new culvert. I am relieved to believe now that both the dam and the pipe will be removed when the project is completely finished, so if there were any fish trying to go up Graveyard Creek (and presumably up Conn Creek too) there would be a possible way for them to do so.

Since I believe Tony Creek, on my property, which flows into Conn Creek, was permanently affected by the clearcut logging of our property back in 1952, I have been concerned about the watershed for all my 42 intermittent years in Anderson Valley. When my kids Wendy and CT Rowe were little, we hiked from our home down to Indian Creek where Helen Libeau had saved old growth redwoods. Some years later when there was concern about water temperature in Indian Creek, I hiked from Helen's down a mile or more (very rough clambering!) to where Parkinson's Gulch (coming from Emerald Earth's property) joined Indian Creek. Sure enough, the water in Parkinson's Gulch was noticeably cooler than that in Indian Creek. I believe Parkinson's Gulch is such steep terrain that it has never been logged. Indian Creek's bed was such difficult terrain because most of it had been logged, and the terrain was nearly impassable, with giant boulders in the creek bed, and steep eroded sides I've forgotten how deep! Jan Pallazola tells me that sometime in more recent years she and Flick MacDonald hiked all the way from Helen's all the way downstream to Highway 128! I wish I were still up to such a hike, as I'd like to see how the creek canyon continues to change.

Thanks for sharing my interest and being curious about the new Graveyard Creek culvert!

Briana

DOG KILLED NEEDLESSLY

To the Editor:

I still can’t believe it. It just don’t seem right. On July 27, I went to one of my favorite restaurants El Azteca. I had lunch, and a drink. When I came out of the restaurant I felt the effects of the drink and decided to take a nap in my car with Sammy, my beloved dog faithfully by my side. I guess at some point, at some time, somebody tried to wake me up and were unsuccessful. 911 was called and the fire department and the sheriff’s office, highway patrol all responded. The fire department was I guess, able to get me out of my car without my dog objecting. I was put on the gurney and loaded up into the ambulance and transported to UVMC. When being pulled out of the ambulance, I woke up. I asked, “Where’s my dog?” Not getting an answer, I started throwing things that were within my reach. I believed that’s when I was sedated I believe I was sedated for a period from July 27, 2015 to Aug. 12, 2015, because I have very little memory of anything that occurred during that period. But, at one time I recalled somebody showing me a picture of my car upside down at a loading dock. I started believing that I had been in an accident. I later found out, the photo had been photo shopped. But, what happened to Sammy? Well, let me tell you, Sammy was left in my car til someone called 911 and informed that I had been taken to the hospital but my dog was still in my car. At that time somebody actually came to the hospital and got my keys to my car and proceeded to “Secure the vehicle,” rolling the windows up and locking the doors, with Sammy still in my car. This was last July, 3 months ago. It was about 100 degrees at this day and I’m sure it was about the same the next day. I have no idea how hot it was in my car, Sammy was in the car for 2 days, I was told that Animal Control was called and then Animal Control assured somebody that they would be out in the morning. Well, they never came out and then after 2 days in my hot car, Sammy perished. Sammy was a unique dog. He was Jack Russell Terrier, and beagle mix. He was the smartest dog I’ve ever owned and I’ve owned several. I owned Sammy since he was 6 weeks old. We had been through a lot during his short 7 years with me. He was my purpose in living as he was diabetic. I had been dealing with that since he was about 1 1/2 years of age. Everybody loved Sammy. He didn’t bark unnecessarily in fact the only time you knew he was there, is when somebody knocked at the door, and he would let out a yodel that hounds make. I never had to raise my voice at him, I spoke to him just as if I was talking to you. He knew everything I was saying to him and he went along with everything I threw at him, even the shots I have to give him at every meal. He just knew that what I was doing needles helped him, and made him feel better. H never complained or shied away from me when that came up. He was truly my companion dog. Loyal to the end.

I miss Sammy so much, his death has left me lonely, empty and without purpose in life as I got Sammy to help me through a rough time I was going through after my son, Darren committed suicide and yes, Sammy did help me through it. Now I’m back dealing with the suicide and now the murder of Sammy. It’s almost too much for me to swallow especially since it did not have to happen. I don’t know why animal control was not called as soon as it was noticed that there was a dog in the car. If I had locked him in the car and caused his death, I would still be in jail but they didn’t call and by the time animal control responded, it was too late, as he, if not dead at that time, he died shortly after they arrived because Yokayo vet was called and was told they were bringing him in. Sammy never made it to Yokayo vet. A friend of mine was able to retrieve Sammy’s body and had cremated for me. Sammy is still with me just as before but, now he’s in a little blue box in my back pack and every time I go looking through my pack and run into the blue box, I choke up a bit.

Sammy did not have to die like that, I knew already his life was going to be cut short because of the diabetes, but I had no idea that he would be killed by a professional who was derelict in his duties. I don’t have any idea who exactly dropped the ball here but when asked for a police report, or incident report from every agency involved, they have no actual report of this happening. It’s like Sammy never existed but as soon as I can find a lawyer to take this case I’m going to make sure that Sammy’s death is vindicated and Sammy and I get an apology and whomever was involved is dealt with. Sammy did nothing to deserve what happened. Imagine how confused he must have been as the temperature rose to be unbearable. It saddens me immensely as I’m writing this down, 1 1/2 months after the murder of Sammy. I was at Redwood Cove Convalescent Hospital for 23 days. I guess after a month it was expected of me to get over it but I haven’t. No I’m never going. Maybe other dogs I’ve had I would have but Sammy’s whole purpose on this earth was to help me through a bad period I was going through. He did his job but he wasn’t done. Now I miss them both. Like I said I’ll never get over his murder nor am I going to get over my son’s death. Sammy was that one of a kind dog that every dog lover dreams of having. I had that dog, and then, he was killed needlessly.

Glenn Clutts, Ukiah

CATCH OF THE DAY, October 15, 2015

LAURA ADAMS, Calpella. Shoplifting, probation revocation.

JOSEPH ALLEN, Ukiah. Under influence, paraphernalia, probation revocation.

KARL BARTH, Fort Bragg. DUI with priors, probation revocation.

RICK CAPORGNO, Hopland. Domestic battery.

JORDAN CHARLES, Ukiah. Possession of controlled substance.

KENNETH DEARDEUFF, Garberville/Ukiah. Suspended license.

WESLEY DICKSON, Ukiah. Petty theft, probation revocation.

SAMANTHA FRANK-GROSSMAN, Willits. Drunk in public, resisting.

ROBERT HANOVER, Ukiah. Probation revocation.

CHARLES HOLT, Ukiah. Assault with deadly weapon not a gun.

CLINTON SALLEE, Fort Bragg. Shoplifting, vandalism, possession of controlled substance, resisting, probation revocation.

ALEX SANCHEZ, Fort Bragg. Assault with deadly weapon with great bodily injury, participation in criminal street gang, child abuse/endangerment, conspiracy, contributing to delinquency of minors.

JAMES SHERWOOD, Mendocino Domestic assault.

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

In the 60’s we lefties were on our way to making America an egalitarian social democracy. With Universal healthcare, paid parental leave, income equality, paid for tertiary education, a non-intervention foreign policy, equal rights and pay for women, sane gun control Laws, and a social safety net for the poor and mentally ill. All the things educated people see and admire in mature social democracies like those in Sweden, and say, New Zealand. Unfortunately, we were overrun by the right-wing, banking-cabal, neoliberal wacko’s, with their semi-fascist capitalistic agenda that gave rise to the all the contributing factors to our country's decline and collapse you mention in your post. It started with Ronald Reagan, and went down hill from there. Attributing the decline and collapse of our country to lefties, feminists, peacnicks, and social democrats is not only fucking hilarious, but also delusional. Go Bernie!

WARRANT WEDNESDAY!

DYLAN BECK WANTED FOR THEFT FROM AN ELDER

Hair: Red; Eyes: Brown

If you recognize this individual or have information which could lead to their arrest, please contact the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office at (707) 463-4086

VALLEY FIRE DAMAGE LIKELY TO SURPASS $1.5 BILLION

The figure would make it the costliest wildfire since 2007 and one of the largest in the state’s history, according to a preliminary estimate by global insurance giant Aon PLC.

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/business/4616467-181/valley-fire-damage-likely-to

THIS COMING SUNDAY, local poet, Sal Martinez, will read from his recent publication, Stroke of the Hummingbird (see attachment). Activities at the library in Point Arena begin at 2:00 PM on October 18.

BEYOND GHASTLY

From: Hillary Clinton <info@hillaryclinton.com>

Date: Thu, Oct 15, 2015 at 8:53 AM

Subject: I want you at my birthday party

Friend — 

Some women don’t like to discuss their ages, but I think that on your birthday, you should live it up! This year, I’m excited to celebrate the fact that I’m running to be the youngest woman ever to be President of the United States.

 In that spirit, I’ve invited some of my favorite people to New York City to have a party (proceeds benefiting the campaign, of course!). John Legend is going to sing, I might even dance, and we’re all going to have a great time.

 I would love for you to be there. All you have to do is sign up, and you and a guest could win a free trip to be my VIP guests.

Thanks,

Hillary

UKIAH SENIOR CENTER Jazz & Broadway vocal ensemble will be singing at the Ukiah Senior Center's October Ice Cream Social on Monday, October 26th at 2 PM - "Sounds Promising" features the 4-part vocal harmonies of Oni LaGioia, Karen Gowan, Neil DiBernardo and Charlie Seltzer, with songs from Broadway, Cabaret, and Jazz. (we do house concerts and sing-alongs - this is an opportunity to see us in a public performance) $2 for all this: Ice cream and pie, prizes and entertainment.

A LITTLE LESS GUILTY

Dear Editor:

As much as we support local businesses, many of us purchase stuff from Amazon. It provides goods not easily available locally or as economically. We learned something recently that leaves us with less of a guilty feeling when we order from the giant. Amazon Smile is a great way to support charitable organizations. For every purchase you make, this arm of Amazon donates 1/2% (0.5%) of the sale amount to the group of your choice. If you click on Anderson Valley, you’ll find a list of every registered 501c(3) group in our area. You choose which group you’d like to support. We chose the Anderson Valley Health Center. You must make sure the group has set up an account with Amazon Smile; Chloe Guazzone, the executive director of AVHC, assures us it’s an easy process. Here is the website: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/94-2347424

Every time we log onto Amazon, it prompts us to go to Amazon Smile to make sure a portion of the purchase goes to the Health Center. If not, just go to the Amazon Smile website and log in as you would for Amazon. All items from Amazon qualify.

Every little bit helps.

Sincerely,

Alice and Ric Bonner

Boonville

FOOTE’S KNIFE WIELDING RAMPAGE

On October 13, 2015, at approximately 10:30am, Officers of the Fort Bragg Police Department were dispatched to the area of the A Frame Expresso (1080 S. Main St) for a third party report of a male subject threatening another male subject with a knife. Officers began canvassing the area and were flagged down by Justin Smith on the Noyo Bridge. Smith advised he had been threatened by Shon Foote and Foote had brandished a large knife at Smith in the area of the Boatyard Shopping Center. Both Smith and Foote were contacted near the front of the Arco gas station (1004 S. Main). Smith advised he tried to place Foote under private person arrest for the actions, and Foote left the area northbound, so he followed him. Officers explained the circumstances to Foote, and advised him he was being placed under arrest.

Foote immediately jumped to his feet, and advised he was not going to be arrested, then promptly removed a folding lock blade knife from his pants and opened the blade. Officers drew their Tasers on Foote and instructed him to drop the knife. Foote continued to hold the knife in a threatening manner and began shuffling away from the area trying to evade officers. Foote was subdued by the use of Tasers, and taken into custody after a brief physical confrontation between him and the officers. Foote was transported to the Mendocino Coast District Hospital where he was evaluated and treated for exposure to the Taser. Foote was then transported to the Mendocino County Adult Detention Facility for incarceration for Brandishing a Weapon, Resisting an Officer, and Battery on Peace Officer.

(Fort Bragg Police Press Release)

(MendocinoSportsPlus Note: According to jail records, the 6'0", 150-pound Mr. Foote was arrested by Fort Bragg Police @ 11:29 Tuesday, October 13th, booked on three felony & three misdemeanor charges @ 7:57 am Wednesday, October 14th ($30,000 bail), had his booking photo taken @ 11:10 am the same day and remains behind bars as of 12:30 pm Thursday, October 15th.)

BAD BUGS BITING BACK

by Steve Heilig

"Centers for Disease Control sounds alarm on deadly, untreatable superbugs," - USA Today, March 2013"Study shows bacteria moves from animals to humans" - New York Times, March 2013, California Adopts Strict Limits on Antibiotic Use in Food-Producing Livestock - California Healthline, October 2015

California Governor Jerry Brown has signed into law the nation's most stringent restrictions on the use of antibiotics in the production of meat. Is this a good thing? It certainly is - perhaps a crucial step in our survival, in fact - and I am not prone to exaggeration of such things. Now our state's new policy must become that of the entire nation.

Way back in my undergraduate years, I was worriedly casting about for an honor's thesis topic in biology and environmental studies when I read a small news story about the mass feeding of antibiotics to farm animals, not so much to protect them from diseases as to make them grow faster so they could be slaughtered and sent to market (why antibiotics speeds growth remains to this day a somewhat mysterious process). It seemed clear to me even then that prolonged, low level exposure of bacteria to antibiotics was an ideal way to cause "unnatural selection" and breed stronger, antibiotic-resistant strains of pathogens. So I spent months researching and writing a 100-page report titled "Bad Bugs Bite Back."

Little did I know that years later I would become enmeshed in the high-stakes professional effort to curtail this threat. And now, many years later, that effort has finally resulted in some positive action - landmark action, it will likely turn out to be. And it's about time, for some very good scientists believe that the increasing invulnerability of disease-causing bacteria and viruses is likely the biggest threat to humanity in the future.

As soon as antibiotics were discovered and developed for medical use, bacteria began the Darwinian "arms race" that has been fought ever since, with pathogens developing resistance to antibiotics, necessitating continual development of new types of medications and increasingly difficult infect agents arising with increasing regularity. Some of the most informed experts have been warning that humans are now starting to lose more of these battles every year. The specter of untreatable and virulent outbreaks, local or pandemic, increases with each decade; as a review put it a decade ago,"Antibiotic resistance has reached a crisis state in human medicine."

Physicians have increasingly been educated and urged to be judicious in antibiotic use for many years now, with increasing success. But as it turns out, up to 70-80 percent of all antibiotics produced — certainly more than half, at a minimum — are in fact used in farm animals. The drugs are added to feed in mass "subterapeutic" dosing - ie, not to treat disease, but for other reasons. As it also turns out, this continual, low-level use is indeed a perfect way to breed resistant strains, which can then find their way into humans. Reports on this potential threat appeared as long ago as 1976 in the New England Journal of Medicine - and government panels set up make recommendations on the threat were tainted by industry-linked scandal from the start. Turns out there is a lot of profit involved, on both the "big pharma" and farm sides of the status quo. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/581708>

Fifteen years ago, a coalition of concerned medical and public health organizations convened a meeting at the San Francisco Medical Society, co-chaired by two health living legends, UCSF Chancellor Emeritus and former US secretary of health Philip Lee, and the late Lester Breslow, Dean of the UCLA School of Public Health and past-president of the American Public Health Association. I had just drafted a policy statement on this adopted by the AMA, urging less use of antibiotics in agriculture, that was national news. The assembled group developed strategy to move such policy forward. We weren't only "outsiders" to agriculture; even the editor of California Farmer, the state's leading agriculture journal, attended the meeting and then editorialized: "We call on producers and vets to stop overuse of all antibiotics ... Antibiotic resistance is a wake-up call that ag must answer."

Lee, Breslow and I subsequently editorialized in the Western Journal of Medicine that:

Leading experts unequivocally state that our current practices of feeding antibiotics to animals goes against "a strong scientific consensus that it is a bad idea" and that the long stalemate on this issue constitutes a "struggle between strong science and bad politics."

The intentional obfuscation of the issue by those with profit in mind is an uncomfortable reminder of the long and ongoing battle to regulate the tobacco industry, with similar dismaying exercises in political and public relations lobbying and even scandal. As with tobacco control, science and health concerns should take precedence over profit in regulating the overuse of antibiotics in the production of meat and other agricultural products. Antibiotics do have a place on farms, but the benefits of their use can likely be preserved while minimizing harm. We need to learn more about the extent of risk, but the delay tactic of allowing current practices to continue while "more research" is conducted is unacceptable. Enough is already known to justify a more cautious, preventive approach.

The United States has lagged behind some other regions on this topic. Based on the growing scientific evidence and policy statements such as the AMA's, the European Union recommended a ban on the use of non-therapeutic antibiotics in livestock production in 2006, a policy still being implemented. Over here, national legislation has been defeated politically numerous times, even though a key sponsor, Rep. Louise Slaughter, is the only trained microbiologist in among all elected officials.  One might hope that our legislators might listen to the true experts among them, but that might be too much to ask.

It comes down to political power and the marketplace. Some of the pressure "consumers" can add by buying only meat produced without antibiotics will certainly help, but it should be admitted that broader and stronger regulations will still be necessary for real change. Still, big institutions can lead the way; locally, the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Academic Senate Coordinating Committee, the School of Pharmacy Faculty Council, and the School of Medicine Faculty Council unanimously approved a resolution to phase out the procurement of meat and poultry raised with non-therapeutic antibiotics at UCSF. The resolution also encourages all University of California campuses to do the same.

But again, beyond consumer pressure, much better regulation is warranted. Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY), the only microbiologist in Congress, has four times introduced national legislation along the lines of what California just approved, and each time been defeated by political lobbying. Hopefully, in this regard as in some others, "as California goes, so goes the nation." California's new law is a landmark, but bugs know no boundaries and national - and international - regulations are required. The stakes are high. The power of big money — pharmaceutical and agricultural - makes for a prolonged battle, as the profits in the status quo are huge.

But if science loses out to profits and politics in this case, humanity's fate may indeed be to end, as T.S. Eliot warned in another context, "not with a bang, but a whimper."

GLEANING PARTY

Sat & Sunday 10/17 &18 9:00 am on….

Blue Meadow Farm needs to plant our cover crops & make room for garlic, leeks & winter veggies. So come help pull out summer crops for compost and take veggies, flowers & seeds home!

Blue Meadow Farm, 3301 Holmes Ranch Rd, Philo 707-895-2071 (17.45 milemarker on Hwy 128)

THE MARCH OF CIVILIZATION

[St Paul, Minnesota] is a wonderful town, indeed, and is not finished yet. All the streets are obstructed with building-material, and this is being compacted into houses as fast as possible, to make room for more — for other people are anxious to build, as soon as they can get the use of the streets to pile up their bricks and stuff in. How solemn and beautiful is the thought that the earliest pioneer of civilization, the van-leader of civilization, is never the steamboat, never the railroad, never the newspaper, never the Sabbath-school, never the missionary — but always whisky! Such is the case. Look history over; you will see. The missionary comes after the whisky — I mean, he arrives after the whisky has arrived; next comes the poor immigrant, with ax and hoe and rifle; next, the trader; next, the miscellaneous rush; next, the gambler, the desperado, the highwayman, and all their kindred in sin of both sexes; and next, the smart chap who has bought up an old grant that covers all the land; this brings the lawyer tribe; the vigilance committee brings the undertaker. All these interests bring the newspaper; the newspaper starts up politics and a railroad; all hands turn to, and build a church and a jail — and behold! Civilization is established forever in the land. But whisky, you see, was the van-leader in this beneficent work. It always is. It was like a foreigner — and excusable in a foreigner — to be ignorant of this great truth, and wander off into astronomy to borrow a symbol. But if had been conversant with the facts, he would have said: "Westward the Jug of Empire takes its way." This great van-leader arrived upon the ground which St Paul now occupies, in June, 1837. Yes, at that date Pierre Parrant, a Canadian, built the first cabin, uncorked his jug, and began to sell whisky to the Indians. The result is before us.

— Mark Twain, 1883; from "Life on the Mississippi"

GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP

Mendocino County Water Agency To Hold A Workshop And Webinar On The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act OF 2014 (SGMA)

On Thursday, October 29, 2015, the Mendocino County Water Agency will hold its fourth workshop regarding SGMA. The requirement to form a Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) for the Ukiah Valley Basin will be discussed. Topics will include a recap on 2015 SGMA legislation and creation of a Coordination Committee to evaluate options to form a GSA for the Ukiah Valley Basin.

“It is very important for everyone to stay engaged in this process within the Ukiah Valley, especially water managers, as it is the only groundwater basin presently in Mendocino County that falls under the mandate of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014” stated First District Supervisor Carre Brown, who also chairs the Mendocino County Water Agency Board of Directors.

The Mendocino County Water Agency SGMA workshop will be held at the County of Mendocino Administration Center in the Agriculture Building, 890 N. Bush Street in Ukiah. The discussion will begin at 5:30 p.m. This meeting will be open to the public. Stakeholders and all interested parties are encouraged to attend.

In addition, the Water Agency will be hosting a viewing of the SGMA Information Webinar on Tuesday, October 27, 2015 from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. in the Board of Supervisors Chambers, located at the 501 Low Gap Road in Ukiah. The webinar is being presented by the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) and the Department of Water Resources (DWR) and is designed to inform staff, governing boards and leaders of local public agencies and organization on the technical aspects of SGMA.

For more information, or to reserve a spot, please contact Sarah Dukett at the Mendocino County Executive Office at (707) 463-4441 or duketts@co.mendocino.ca.us.

Released by:

Carmel J. Angelo

Chief Executive Officer/Water Agency Director

TRIPLE AAA SAYS, HAVE A FREE DRINK

http://www.viamagazine.com/road-trips/anderson-valley-road-trip

JAIL FAIL: North Bay Bohemian: Federal Lawsuit: Inmates claim they were systematically tortured for hours at the Sonoma County jail.

“The deputies dragged Lopez to the mental health unit and stripped him naked. Covered in his own feces, Lopez pleaded for toilet paper. The deputies ignored his pleas, laughed at him and locked him naked in isolation covered in his own feces for two days…”

http://www.bohemian.com/northbay/legal-lockdown/Content?oid=2752614

NATIONAL NOVEL WRITING MONTH:

NaNoWriMo Kick-Off Event: Wed. Nov. 4th 6:00 7:30 pm

Come Write In: Saturdays in November 12-5 pm

During the month of November, the Mendocino County Library, Ukiah Branch is hosting National Novel Writing Month. National Novel Writing Month ( http://nanowrimo.org/about) (NaNoWriMo) ( http://nanowrimo.org/about) is a nonprofit event that encourages kids, teens & and adults to tackle the challenge of writing a novel in November. Launched in 1999, NaNoWriMo inspires its 300,000+ participants with pep talks, a huge and supportive online community, and a host of web-based writing tools. The Ukiah Branch Library will be hosting a kick-off event on Nov. 4th @ 6pm as well as weekly drop-in writing events every Saturday from 12-5 pm. If you are interested in the program or want to find out more about NaNoWriMo, please contact Melissa at the Ukiah Library: 467-6434 or carrm@co.mendocino.ca.us