Mendocino County Today: Sunday, Jan 17, 2016

• Catch & Release
• PD Headline
• Dental Care
• RV Marriage
• Broke County
• Ped v Car
• Weed Survey
• Eel Diversion
• Know Nicolas?
• Yesterday's Catch
• Captain Wyatt
• Reflection
• Corny
• Toilet Thoughts
• Marijuana Regulation
• Prop13 Loopholes
• Library Events
• Lethal Injection
• Deadline Craig
• Marco Radio

POOR OLD CHARLES HENSLEY is tossed into the County Jail an average of four times a month. He more or less sobers up, he's released to immediately drink himself into another stupor. I'd say the Superior Court of Mendocino County is torturing the guy to death. Hensley needs to spend months in jail. Maybe if he could get completely sober he might give life another chance. As it is, the black-robed dispensers of justice are killing him one court appearance at a time.

PD HEADLINE WRITER GOES BERSERK!

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/5083821-181/atmospheric-river-to-soak-sonoma

(Although we are in for several days of rain, some of them reasonably heavy…)

JEFF COSTELLO NOTES: Regarding the piece about meth and teeth... My unfortunate personal experience with methamphetamine tells me that it is not specifically the chemical itself that ruins one's teeth, but the lifestyle one inevitably adopts. Meth freaks for one thing do not eat much in the way of decent food. They eat a lot of sugar and starchy snacks and do not take care of their teeth in the slightest. One memory is going into a 7-11 with some other crank heads and watching one of them buy Hostess cupcakes and put them in the microwave until they turned in a gooey slime. This was his idea of something to eat. Put anyone on such a diet and their teeth will be gone soon enough.

My father was an alcoholic and his teeth were every bit as bad as a meth freak's. I was born with genetically bad teeth, suffered dental horrors as a child and by the time I discovered meth, my teeth were already nearly half gone anyway. The sane adults and dentists were right about taking care of your teeth, and that is one bit of wisdom in the 50's that I wish I hadn't rebelled against.

THE REDWOOD VALLEY COMMUNITY CHURCH specifically excludes gay persons from employment and any volunteer work with its thriving congregation. Responding specifically to the Supreme Court's ruling on gay marriage, the Redwood Valley Christians cited the Old Testament's edict that marriage "has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union as delineated in Scripture…"

REDWOOD VALLEY is the only church in the County, so far as we know, to boldly announce its opposition to gay marriage.

HOW BROKE is Mendocino County? Mendo of course says it has an $80 million balance, but it's at least $56 million in the hole. Unfortunately for Mendo, the state counts unfunded retirement payment obligations against balance sheets. The County's pension obligations amount to at least $135 million with an unfunded obligation of as much as $166 million. Any way you tote it up, Mendocino County is broke.

PEDESTRIAN VS. CAR, FORT BRAGG.

"On Friday, January 15, at approximately 6:30 am, officers of the Fort Bragg Police Department were dispatched to the intersection of SR-1 and Manzanita Street for the report of a traffic collision involving a vehicle versus pedestrian.

Upon arrival to the area, Officers located Mathew Jones (age 21) lying in the middle of the intersection.

Based on statements obtained on scene, officers determined that Jones had been crossing Manzanita Street from north to south and was struck by a gray Honda Accord being driven by Margaret Somerville (age 58). The vehicle was executing a left-hand turn from SR-1 onto Manzanita Street at the time of collision.

Jones sustained injuries as a result of being struck by the vehicle and was transported to the Mendocino Coast District Hospital, where he was immediately flown out by a helicopter air ambulance to a Vacaville trauma center for treatment. Somerville’s vehicle sustained minor damage, and was driven from the scene."

RESEARCHER: 8,400 GROW SITES IN HUMBOLDT COUNTY

by Daniel Mintz

Two marijuana-related research projects were unveiled as the Board of Supervisors considered marijuana regulations, one quantifying the number of outdoor and greenhouse grows in the county and the other focusing on prevalent plant virus infections.

During the board’s Jan. 12 meeting on a draft commercial medical marijuana ordinance, Van Butsic, a faculty member of the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management at UC Berkeley, gave a presentation updating supervisors on an often asked about subject – the quantity of outdoor and greenhouse grows in Humboldt County.

Butsic specializes in documenting land use changes and his study found that there are 8,400 grow sites in the county as of 2012 to 2013, the most recent period for which clear satellite imagery is available.

The mapping effort encompasses a random sample of 62 of the county’s 112 watersheds, which hold 4,200 grow sites on 1,725 parcels and a total of 300,000 plants. Individual greenhouses were counted as single sites and Butsic said that a total quantification of twice the sample size can be “pretty safely” extrapolated.

The resulting estimate of 8,400 grow sites and 600,000 plants is probably conservative, as the data is a few years old and more sites have likely emerged.

Butsic also reported that 70% of the sites utilized newly-built or unimproved roads, 20% were within 500 meters of streams and 200 sites were within 100 meters of streams.

Half the sites had more than 1,000 square feet of grow area and about 32% of the sites were sized between 5,000 and 20,000 square feet. About 8% were larger than 20,000 square feet.

The findings will help the county gauge permitting volumes. Butsic said that the board’s newly arrived-at 10,000 square feet threshold will mean that 20% of parcels with grow sites will need conditional use permits.

Mid-sized parcels from 20 acres to 160 acres are the “meat and potatoes of where the cultivation sites are,” Butsic continued, with larger-sized parcels accounting for fewer grows.

“We see a lot of action on small parcels but they’re typically small grows,” he said. “In the mid-sized category, you see a lot of grows and a lot of larger grows.”

The most common zoning designation on parcels with cultivation is unclassified, which often includes timberland. Also common are forestry recreation and agricultural zones.

Forestry recreation parcels “are just really incredibly likely to have cultivation sites” when mid-sized parcels are considered, said Butsic.

A different area of research was highlighted during the non-agenda public comment session of the board’s Jan. 11 special meeting on the draft ordinance. The owner of a “non-profit research organization” called Humboldt DNA told supervisors of a multi-year study on a “widespread virus or viruses infecting cannabis seed and nursery stock nationwide.”

A procedure to address the situation is in development and supervisors were requested to include a research permit in the county’s regulatory structure.

But Supervisor Rex Bohn said the cost of the permitting would be an issue and recommended that the research be supported by the industry’s participants.

Supervisor Estelle Fennell agreed but noted the importance of doing research. She said marijuana research was discussed at Humboldt State University’s Jan. 8 Business Leaders Luncheon.

The university is “dealing with it on the periphery,” said Fennell, due to a challenging obstacle.

“The problem is that at least for now, we’re dealing with a substance that is illegal on a federal level and with the university being a recipient of federal funds, it makes it a very difficult proposition,” she continued.

Reiterating Bohn’s recommendation, Fennell added, “It will be in the interest of the industry to make sure this kind of research is done.”

HUMBOLDT State University is sponsoring two studies to determine if the Eel river can be better managed for fish health. The Potter Valley Diversion (of the Eel) depends on Scott Dam, which is in the relicensing process. The aim of the research isn’t about removing the dam, but how to restore fish habitat. The two studies look at how Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s Potter Valley Project affects water hydrology and habitat for Chinook and coho salmon.

IF SCOTT DAM, and the diversion tunnel were removed, it would go a long way to returning fish runs to the Eel. That diversion — a thousand foot long tunnel hand dug by Chinese labor early in the 20th century for the purpose of turning turbines to electrify Ukiah, now diverts so much of the Eel River that Lake Mendocino depends on it for life. The waters of Lake Mendo are mostly owned by Sonoma County, which sells the diverted water to downstream customers as far away as Southern Marin County. The whole show is the very definition of tenuous.

IF YOU'VE never visited the diversion at Potter Valley, you're in for a negative treat. Survival of many fish depend on a cockamamie corkscrew-like fish lift into which fish enter as fish and exit as ducks, if they survive the ride.

THIS GUY NEEDS TO BE LOCKED UP. PRONTO

Do you have any information on Nicolas Adam Merrell? Please call our tip line at (707) 234-2100. He is a suspect in an attempted murder case. Please read the press release below and SHARE THIS POST. We are looking for any information on his recent whereabouts or activities.

On January 16th, at 1:04 AM, Deputies assigned to the Sheriff's Fort Bragg Office were dispatched to a residence in the 22000 block of North Highway 1, in Fort Bragg, for a reported burglary and assault that had just occurred.

Upon arrival, Deputies quickly learned that a white male suspect, with long dark hair, wearing a red t-shirt, and armed with several knives, had entered a residence and assaulted the 33 year old female resident.

Deputies located the victim lying on the floor of a neighbor’s house, where she had fled after being assaulted. The victim was suffering from multiple puncture wounds to her upper torso. The victim advised the deputies that she was asleep in the upstairs portion of her residence, when she heard someone enter the house and walk into her residence. The suspect climbed stairs to the victim's bedroom, where she turned on a light and observed the suspect who was armed with a large kitchen style knife in each hand.

The 33 year old female victim, although attacked, stabbed multiple times, and physically assaulted, was able fight off the attacker, and flee the house to a neighbors. The suspect gave chase until the neighbor opened his door and confronted the suspect, shielding the victim from further assault. The suspect then fled west through the brush. The victim was given first aid and she was transported to a medical facility where she remains in stable condition.

Deputies, assisted by officers from the Fort Bragg Police Department remained vigilant and continued to search the area for the suspect. Approximately 45 minutes after the initial call for service, the suspect was located by Mendocino County Sheriff's Deputies hiding in the brush north of the residence where the assault took place. The suspect was arrested without incident and weapons and other evidence of the assault were discovered.

Detectives from the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Unit responded to continue the investigation. The investigation is still ongoing and the suspect has been booked in the Mendocino County jail for charges of attempted murder, burglary, and for a Fugitive from Justice warrant from the state of Montana.

Anyone with information regarding the suspect’s activities or about this incident is asked to contact the Sheriff's Office tip line at 234-2100.

(Sheriff’s Press Release)

CATCH OF THE DAY, January 16, 2016

RONALD BAUMEISTER, Ukiah. Failure to appear.

HENRY CISNEROS, Willits. Probation revocation.

MICHAEL CUMMINS, Fort Bragg. Drunk in public.

STEVEN DANIELS, Fort Bragg. Tresspassing.

JOY DAVIDSON, Fort Bragg. Failure to appear.

JORGE DURAN, Willits. Pot sales, controlled substance, paraphernalia.

STACEY EMERY, Clearlake/Ukiah. Domestic battery.

AIMEE HAGEN, Fort Bragg. DUI, vandalism, child endangerment.

CHRISTINE HALAS, Ukiah. Unlawful sex with minor more than three years younger, oral copulation with minor under 18, probation revocation.

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

ANTONIO JIMENEZ-OROZCO, Ukiah. Drunk in public.

MATEO MARTINEZ-RAFAEL, Ukiah. Domestic battery.

ANDREW MAYNARD, Fort Bragg. Drunk in public, probation revocation. (Frequent flyer.)

NICHOLAS MERRELL, Fort Bragg. Attempted murder, burglary.

STEVEN NOVOA, Ukiah. Assault with deadly weapon not a gun.

ALEJANDRO NUNEZ, Willits. Pot sales, controlled substance, paraphernalia.

JUSTIN PHILLIPS, Willits. Controlled substance, no license, probation revocation.

ZACHARI ROZEK, Redwood Valley. Drunk in public, probation revocation.

FREEDIE SHAW, Ukiah. Contributing, conspiracy.

REBECCA STILES, Laytonville. Drunk in public. (Frequent flyer.)

KRISTINE TUPPER, Ukiah. Burglary, receiving stolen property, camping.

WILLIAM VANTREESE, Ukiah. Drunk in public, probation revocation. (Frequent flyer.)

KEVIN WHITT, Berkeley/Ukiah. Camping.

CAPTAIN JUSTIN WYATT of the Ukiah Police Department has successfully matriculated from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Academy, "designed for experienced law enforcement officers who are looking to improve their skills. It’s a ten week program in advanced communication, leadership and fitness training for those selected with proven records as professionals in their agencies." Wyatt told the Ukiah Daily Journal that much of the focus of the course was on how to stay mentally and physically fit as you age in law enforcement.

I CONSIDER THE BODY OF MY WORK and I do not find it good. That doesn't mean a thing except that the impulses have changed. If I have any more work in me, which I sometimes doubt, it will have to be of a kind to match my present age. I'm not the young writer of promise anymore. I'm a worked-over claim. There may be a few nuggets overlooked but the territory has been pretty thoroughly assayed. More and more, young people look at me in amazement because they thought I was dead.

— John Steinbeck

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

We went to the movies tonight and saw Star Wars. Even my wife who has almost never seen a movie she didn’t LOVE felt this latest version was “corny.”

It was exactly what you would expect: cute robots and lots of explosions and noise. I had to remove my hearing aids or kiss my ear drums goodbye.

Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford have become scarily old and will not be winning any supporting actor awards. Casting was done according to leftist PC principles: so many blacks, so many whites, so many females, so many males, etc, etc. Not that he did a bad job as the updated Darth Vader-like character but I couldn’t help wondering who Adam Driver had to blow to land that role.

The female lead, Ray (played by Daisey Ridley) is, of course, smart as a whip and tough as nails (a galactic Katniss Everdeen). The male lead, Finn (played by John Boyega) is black. You are not far into the story before you can see that Ray is attracted to Finn but this angle is played very subtly, probably on the basis of focus group studies showing that that sort of thing might harm worldwide box office receipts.

There is no sex or nudity of any sort in the film. At one point they hug out of some sort of emotional relief that they are both still alive, and near the end, when Finn is lying motionless (possibly dead?), Ray kisses him on the forehead. I immediately thought of what Janos’s reaction would be, viz. incensed revulsion.

UP OR DOWN?

Editor,

Ever hike near a waterfall? You can feel the aerosol from hundreds of feet away. The science behind toilets shows that whenever one flushes a toilet, the toilet lid should be closed during flushing to minimize the aerosol from the toilet. E. coli bacteria has been found across whole houses where toilet seats are left up during flushing. If you're not closing the lid at home, just consider where your toothbrush sits in relation to your toilet. Public bathrooms should have lids on the toilet, and people should stop being sexist about something so mundane as a toilet seat.

James Masciandaro, San Bruno

* * *

BRACE YOURSELVES, GIRLS

Editor,

I'm going to weigh in here on the messy subject of unisex bathrooms and say what no one else has the guts to say: Men's bathrooms stink. Literally. It has nothing to do with leaving the seat up or down, it's where men choose to aim and spray. Women have their own issues in the bathroom but, as a woman, I can be reasonably assured that the toilet seat won't be dripping and the floor won't be a lake when I need to use a public restroom. I said "reasonably assured." And what's up with the "urine cake?" To take the nicest word in the English language and ruin it with that abominable adjective. Let the firestorm of indignation begin.

Madeleine DeAndreis-Ayres,

Fort Jones, Siskiyou County

GOVERNOR BROWN'S proposed $171 billion budget for the 2016-17 fiscal year, for the first time ever, sets money aside for the regulation of medical pot. The new Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act is made up of three bills rolled into one law signed by Brown late last year. They are the first official rules regulating the medical marijuana industry, $5.4 million worth. That scrappy little lead off hitter from Healdsburg, State Senator Mikey McGuire, wrote one of the trio of bills that eventually became law.

PROP 13’S OTHER LOOPHOLE

Editor

While Jay Nitschke's letter of 13 January concerning corporate tax payments post Prop 13 is accurate, it misses a major issue. Property rates for both corporations and individuals (including home owners) were rolled back and can only be raised a limited amount (1%/yr I think) UNLESS the property is sold or permits, building or use, are issued. As a result, corporations virtually never have their real estate holdings re-assessed, if the corporation is acquired, real assets are merely another asset and not re-assessed. Likewise, another massive negative force on state income comes from individuals who own multiple properties, especially apartment buildings. Those taxes are held at a 60s level while rents have risen astronomically.

I used to rent a flat in San Francisco for $75/month; it was one of six in a building and the owner got $450/month. Now any one of those flats rents for well over $1500, but if the building has not been sold the taxes are more or less at previous levels. The same is true for a huge apartment complex. It is also true for a house, using San Francisco (or Ukiah) as an example, that has an in-law apartment.

I lived in such a house in SF and the downstairs apartment rented for $90; lately the rent was $1550, but the taxes have not significantly changed. The landlords say they must pay higher income taxes which is true, but those taxes go into a different pile.

So yes, reform/amend Prop 13, BUT not just on the "evil" corporations. Exempt the primary residence of individuals only, not all property held for the long-term, particularly rental property.

Peter Lit, Elk

THIS WEEK AT UKIAH LIBRARY

http://us11.campaign-archive2.com/?u=3696d38b68efac10f9e33fa9a&id=27a9b38b2f&e=a3c5eb703b

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS to update death penalty protocols and regs.

http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/Regulations/Adult_Operations/docs/NCDR/2015NCR/15-10/NCR%2015-10%20Notice%20of%20Proposed%20Regulations.pdf

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has *extended the written public comment period* regarding proposed amendments to California Code of Regulations, Title 15, Division 3, Sections 3349, 3349.1, 3349.2, 3349.3, 3349.4, 3349.5, 3349.6, 3349.7, 3349.8, and 3349.9 regarding the administration of the death penalty by lethal injection. The Notice was originally published on November 6, 2015, in the Office of Administrative Law Notice Register 2015, No. 45-Z. Written comments sent by mail, fax, or e-mail to the addresses listed under Contact Person in this Notice must be received by the close of the public comment period on *February 22, 2016, at 5:00 p.m.*

The public hearing regarding this proposed action will take place as originally scheduled on Friday, January 22, 2016, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Auditorium, Department of Health Services, East End Complex, located at 1500 Capitol Ave., Sacramento, CA 95814.

CONTACT PERSON: Comments or inquiries should be directed to Timothy M. Lockwood, Chief, Regulation and Policy Management Branch, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, P.O. Box 942883, Sacramento, California 94283-0001, by telephone at (916) 445-2269, fax at (916) 324-6075, or by e-mail at LI.comments@cdcr.ca.gov. In the event the contact person is unavailable, inquiries should be directed to Joshua Jugum at (916) 445-2228.

TROUBLED COFFEE

I'm Seeking a Creative Opportunity by Noon on Sunday

Hello everybody, I am booked into Berkeley, California's Piedmont House travel hostel until noon on Sunday January 17, 2016. I am able to go to the SFO airport and fly to either the New York City~Washington D.C. region to participate in more frontline radical environmental-peace and justice activities. Or, I could consider any other worthwhile situation. Or, I could continue drinking "Trouble Coffee" at San Francisco's Ocean Beach, watching the eternal witness watch thoughts, which just float on past continuously. Feel free to contact me at CraigStehr@inbox.com, or telephone 510-849-4800 and chat it up with the outstanding staff who maintain Berkeley's most significant bohemian residence, and leave me a message for room Lucky 13. But you better hurry, because in addition to my guest reservation being up in 38 1/2 hours, the travel hostel is up for sale. Hey, nobody here actually knows what is going to happen in the next five minutes!

FIRST RULE OF IMPROV: YES, AND…

“Nothing destroys creativity as surely as being afraid to make a mistake.” – John Cleese

Hi, Marco here. It's a fine time to hear last night's (2016-01-15) KNYO (and KMEC) Memo of the Air: Good Night Radio show. The recording of the show is at http://MemoOfTheAir.wordpress.com and it's ready to download and keep or just play with one click.

Also at http://MemoOfTheAir.wordpress.com you'll find literally thousands and thousands of links to not necessarily radio-useful but nonetheless interesting things to see and hear and learn about, such as:

A capella, the self-defense martial art. “You’ll be okay, you know a capella now.” “I do?”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQ8HNeYLEe4

The overly complicated coffee order.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhKejRHODOM

And the violin-learning progress video I messed up the link to last week, that Bill Cornelius informed me took him to a dating site. It’s the violin video for sure this time. I promise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaugRxMz7tw

PS. I want to put in a plug here for Safeway’s Signature-brand rosemary-and-olive-oil Triscuit-knockoff crackers. The best crackers ever, even with no cream cheese or prosciutto or anything.

Marco McClean memo@mcn.org

http://MemoOfTheAir.wordpress.com