- Silencing Marmon
- Yesterday's Catch
- Oust Ortner
- Elk Comeback
- Teacher Salaries
- Panther B-ballers
- Drought Alarms
- The Circus
- King Trump
- The Works
- Register, Vote!
- Rebuilding LakeCo
- Eureka's Homeless
- Multi-million Advice
- Bern Endorsement
- Measure V
- Beachgoers
- Chin Up
- Party Decline
- Rock Monologue
- Library Events
HOW TO SILENCE your critics, Mendo style. James Marmon was fired as a County social worker because he refused to be a party to the illegal seizure of children. Marmon has been a stalwart critic of the agency and its hierarchy ever since. Rather than address the issues he raised County CEO Carmel Angelo and several of Marmon's former supervisors claim that not only does Marmon the man scare them, but his emails do, too, and off to court the County mice go to get a restraining order against him. And now they want an extension of the original restraining order against Marmon. We hope he demands a hearing before this preposterous order is simply rolled over by our easily rolled Superior Court.
CATCH OF THE DAY, Feb 28, 2016
BRET BENGSTON, Fort Bragg. Burglary.
JONATHAN CISNEROS, Ukiah. Criminal threats, probation revocation.
RICARDO GARCIA, Ukiah. Under influence, probation revocation.
JOSE GONZALEZ, Redwood Valley. DUI.
APRIL JACKSON, Upper Lake/Ukiah. Battery.
MARTINA JACKSON, Ukiah. Battery.
DALLAS KALER, Ukiah. Drunk in public, resisting.
ROBERT MCCOEY, Ukiah. Probation revocation.
DAVID MOORE, Fort Bragg. Pot cultivation, possession for sale.*
DENA MORRIS, Redwood Valley. Drunk in public, probation revocation. (Frequent flyer.)
JEAN TODD, Orem, Utah/Ukiah. Pot cultivation.*
BARDO VALDEZ, Ukiah. DUI causing injury.
JENNIFER WOOD, Willits. Misdemeanor hit&run.
*Jean Marie Todd and David Moore of Fort Bragg were previously arrested in February 2009 on suspicion of cultivation of marijuana and possession of marijuana for sale. Former AVA contributor and local pot advocate Pebbles Trippett wrote about the arrest at the time in the AVA. Interestingly, current District Attorney David Eyster was their private defense attorney back in 2009 before he was elected District Attorney.
* * *
Murdering MendoHealing
by Pebbles Trippet (AVA, March 25, 2009)
MendoHealing, the medical cannabis farm in Fort Bragg, has drawn its last breath, dead of natural causes or murdered, depending.
David Moore began with a vision of a farm-direct medical cannabis cooperative that would give low income patients quality medicine at half-price. Instead, as a County prisoner in leg chains on an extraordinary no-bail-hold for a probation violation Moore has received a plea offer from deputy DA Lee Nerli for up to a year in the County Jail and dismissal of the cases against the other four defendants.
A bail hearing was set for February 19th before retired Judge Smith. Defense counsel David Eyster argued that even murderers get bail. Eyster cited the locally infamous Diaz case involving the vice-president of Vallejo Hell's Angels who was accused of murdering a Fort Bragg family, children first, decapitating them, and setting their house on fire. His bail was set at a mere $100,000 paltry considering the monstrous accusations.
Eyster argued that David Moore had no violence on his record and had previously pled to felony cultivation in 2005 case for which he was sentenced to a sheriff's work program and three years probation. Which he duly served. So why no bail?
Moore's understanding was that MendoHealing, under its new ownership, was allowed to grow for medical purposes; Moore was merely an advisor living in San Francisco where he worked for O'Shaughnessy's Journal. MendoHealing's new president, Jean Marie Todd, was in charge of the Fort Bragg farm and garden. The January 2009 raid came as a result of Moore visiting Todd at her residence on the farm. He'd thought that he had permission from his probation supervision to visit, although not in writing. He also knew about the famous Tilehkooh Appeals Court precedent which allows patients to use their medicine while on probation.
Judge Smith initially granted bail at $15,000 which seemed to unhinge deputy DA Nerli who screamed at the judge, “I can't believe you did this! You can't do this. You didn't even ask for the probation officer's report. .Our position and probation's position is no bail.”
Judge Smith asked if the probation officer was present when he should have cited Nerli for contempt and had him hauled out to Low Gap by a bailiff. But…
The probation officer was sitting in the front of the courtroom waiting to give his report. He calmly told the judge, “He (Moore) is complying; he checks in all the time; he sent letters around to relevant agencies telling them what he was doing. I'm neutral.”
There is also the issue of Moore's earlier request for early probation release. He was granted a hearing which was continued for more information. But the prosecutor told Judge Smith that Moore's motion for early release was denied, a flat out fabrication. Visiting judge was confused. He didn't know anything about the case and “didn't want to be caught releasing another Bonnie and Clyde,” as Eyster errantly put it. Judge Smith rescinded his bail ruling and the case was continued until the next day.
The next day, February 20, Judge Nelson, who'd presided over Moore's '05 case threw the proverbial book at Moore. He described the '05 case as big league commerce with multiple employees and the violation of probation as a serious violation not a “technicality.”
A day or two later came the plea. Moore was offered six months County Jail time for violating probation and six more months jail for his new case involving 700 plants for 600 bona fide cannabis patients with doctors' approvals in a cooperative arrangement with a San Francisco dispensary.
It was expected that Moore would accept the plea in exchange for dismissal of all charges against his four co-defendants. When he came to court March 17 for a plea hearing, another surprise awaited. It appears that the plea of one year in County Jail and three years probation was not authorized by DA Lintott; prosecutor Nerli was asking the court for a continuance to allow Lintott to do her own investigation of MendoHealing. Eyster was heard saying, “What, how could they offer a plea that wasn't authorized?”
Because Lintott's deputies do deals behind the boss's back on a regular basis. Then she trundles out to public forum somewhere in the County to take back what one or another of her deputies has done.
Early in 2008, Lintott went before the Board of Supes to announce that one of her deputies had erroneously presented a motion to the court to deny a Prop 215 defense in a routine medical cannabis case and that that was not the position of her office.
She recently fired Matt Finnegan for a complaint he filed criticizing Lintott and her preferred top deputies, all women, for using County cars for their commutes. The Lintott regime is rife with incompetence, in-house sniping, an astronomical 10-1 increase in marijuana prosecutions from the Vroman-Craver era, and even what seems to be a hostile force of deputies who appear to be doing things to publicly discredit her.
Lee Nerli, who offered the plea to Moore, is known as the deputy DA who publicly says that he believes “all medical marijuana is a scam.” David Moore seems to be a scapegoat for Nerli's dual hostilities for medical marijuana and his boss. Is there a better explanation for why he would offer an unauthorized plea?
One of the casualties of the MendoHealing take-down is the arrest and prosecution of Jean Marie Todd, former science and health editor of Bloomberg News. She left her decade-long job as reporter to serve as president of MendoHealing Co-op. As someone who does not use cannabis herself, her involvement was based on learning the science and its beneficial medical effects after attending a Patients Out of Time conference in 2007, where she met Moore and signed onto MendoHealing. After researching the law and the job, she agreed to take on the new cultivation project and oversee organization of the enterprise.
In an interview with Ms. Todd, 51, a soft-spoken articulate woman with a stoic streak, raised straight-laced Mormon in Utah, she alternated between sighing and crying.
“We were doing this in good faith. We did everything we could to do it right, to be in compliance. Our patients are real people with real needs. I signed them up. Many are elderly and very poor. They are no longer being served by us. There were three families working peacefully here who are now out of work and can no longer afford the rent. It was a total economic loss. What has the County gained?”
At the end of the raid, Jean Marie asked one of the deputies, “What happened to Obama's order not to interfere in the states?”
The deputy replied, “That message hasn't reached us.”
ORTNER ON THE ROPES
Editor,
At the supervisors Tuesday March 1, 2016 meeting, there could be a vote on ousting Ortner. Supervisor McCowen and CEO Carmel Angelo want to keep Ortner, even though Ortner has a long list of failures exposed from multiple sources (Kemper Report, Grand Jury Reports, Federal Audit, Mental Health Board Reports). Supervisor Hamburg sounded at the Feb 16 meeting like he may vote to keep Ortner. Supervisors Gjerde, Woodhouse and Brown said they would vote to oust Ortner.
Most people who read all of the reports on Ortner know the truth of their egregious failure. How on earth can Carmel Angelo and Supervisor John McCowen keep this charade going? The only hope for Mental Health patients and their families lies with three supervisors who can initiate a wise solution which is to offer a Sole Source Contract to a proven, honest, provider with integrity who has always fulfilled contractual obligations — Redwood Quality Management Company (RQMC). They can expand their current Mental Health services and begin to create desperately needed Adult Mental Health services with whatever money is salvaged from Ortner, and other money County staff has stashed away in “special,” “reserve” and other funds.
People who follow Ortner would not be surprised to hear them say that they have limited resources and would not be able to provide the services our County expects them to provide. Awarding a Sole Source Contract to RQMC would avoid unnecessary time delays of an RFP process, and prolonged additional contractual failures of Ortner. RQMC is the only long time Mendocino County provider of Mental Health services with many offices in the County and an excellent staff.
RQMC is financially responsible, with integrity, honesty and transparency about financials. RQMC will hire local people providing good jobs in a supportive environment for many people. In addition, local businesses will benefit from providing goods and services, and our communities will benefit from MH patients being supported by qualified people as they learn to manage their illness and give to their community in ways that they choose.
Unanswered Questions:
1. Supervisor Gjerde said, “…I'm looking at the two contracts … for RQMC, the administrative line item is 2.3% of their total allocation. For the Ortner contract it's 8.5% of their contract. For the Utilization Review it's 4.8% for RQMC, and for Ortner it's 10.1%. So you add those two together, the Redwood Services is 7.1% for administration and the other contract it's 18.6% of the total amount. So even though the Ortner contract is for less money, it's got a bigger administrative bill and the other contract for the larger amount has the smaller amount and a much smaller percentage.”
Why is this?
2. Ortner seems to have given false information to Kemper (p. 42) about 80 hospitalized people so the supervisors would not know the truth of the extent of their self-referrals. The result is that it would seem to the supervisors that the same number of people were hospitalized at Ortner’s hospital now as before privatization. Did staff clear up this discrepancy between County and Ortner statistics?
3. Who on County staff is left to rewrite contracts and write an RFP that wasn’t involved before? Carmel Angelo participated with Stacy Cryer, Tom Pinizzotto and Kristin McMenomy and the latter three are gone.
Sonya Nesch, Comptche
MENDO’S TULE ELK HERDS are growing. Ranchers in the North County — Covelo, Laytonville, the Coast in the vicinity of upper Westport, Willits, and Potter Valley complain that roughly 300 of the great beasts are wreaking havoc with their fences and crops.
SO, YOU WANNA teach school? Anderson Valley Unified, 506 students K-12, pays an annual average salary of $53,897. Point Arena, with 370 young scholars, whose schools have been in and out of a kind of educational receivership for years now, has boosted teacher pay 12.5% over the last three school years to $55,874 which, you might say, is a nice stipend for perennial failure. Mendocino Unified pays best at $57,296 a year.
BEFORE A PACKED HOMETOWN HOUSE in Boonville, the Anderson Valley boy's basketball team came out strong against the visiting St. Elizabeth Mustangs, corralling the Mustangs with little trouble, 72-48. AV led start to finish, with the big win putting the home boys into the semi-finals of the Division 6 Northcoast championships. Abraham Sanchez knocked in 17 points to lead the Panther scoring, Tony Pardini came off the bench to toss in 15. Dependable Jared Johnston added 13 points, Cesar Soto 11 and Erin Perez 10 points. AV takes on Sonoma's Archbishop Hanna Hawks this Wednesday night, 7pm, in the Boonville gym. Second generation Johnston, Second generation Pardini, second generation Soto, whose dad was a pretty fair country baseball player in his day.
OLD TIMERS are saying it looks and feels to them like the drought is ongoing, predictions of El Nino deluges notwithstanding. The Ukiah City Council is considering raising water rates over the next five years by as much as 17%, and every community in the County is talking about another summer of liquid austerity.
THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT of Water Resources is sounding even louder alarm bells. They say water shortages throughout the state remain critical because this rainfall season has been disappointing.
THE TIME WAS THEN
by Bill Bradd
White’s Field, 1927 — Somebody must have been over to Willits last night, because the news spread: the circus is coming and they have an elephant in a van. I myself got to town as fast as I could. I go to town every day. Every noon I lock the farm gate and drive to town to eat lunch. There’s nobody but me at the house and I like the hot meal. I read the paper and eat lunch and drive back out to the farm. But today, though, I’m going in early, I’ll get some tea and toast with marmalade and watch for the arrival, the circus is coming to town.
Well it was a disappointment right out of the box. First of all they snuck in the back way and got to White’s field before any of us could think. Suddenly, from all over town, cars and trucks and school busses started up and headed out of town, all over to the White place. People sped in from all over and they filled out the back and parked on the old corn stalks.
The circus was humble enough: two trucks, four old station wagons. The large one could sleep at least six and a dog. And there were dogs. Probably trained ones, but dogs never the less, all little rat terriers, about 6 of them, and they flew about everywhere, digging holes immediately trying to catch gophers napping. I saw this was a good trick right off, and I thought maybe these guys are more than meets the eye. Maybe I won’t rush to judgment yet.
There is a guy who looks after the elephant, the elephant’s buddy, his good pal, an East Indian it seems. I found his look to be a bit discombobulating. Many rings and doodads, and a tattoo that stuck out from the top of his shirt. A sort of ridiculous man I thought. He ordered everybody to get back all the time even as we pressed forward, as is the wont of a “field side” gang. We can press forward with authority if we want to. And every last soul, standing in this cornfield, on this particular afternoon wanted the elephant parade to begin, so we pressed forward. Get back, the elephant man yells.
He is standing beside a small tin covered truck, more like a bread van, double back doors. We all start backing up, those up front step back and there is a general stepping back happening, all very ritual, old dances, done usually around funerals and award ceremonies. Finally there is room to breathe at the field.
Whites was literally a field, old corn stalks were crushed over by the local traffic today. Suddenly from inside the tin truck; the elephant made a roar. Everybody did the Yahoo Back Dance double time, about eighty people moved as one, a Japanese deal, sort of. A step back, an elegant duck walk then straightened to upright toes, in unison, together as one, we were capable of greatness, and the elephant got us off on the right foot.
The van itself was ordinary enough. No great lurid picture, no bad taste, in fact the circus seemed rather circumspect: there was nothing promising nostrums that would grow hair on a billiard ball, or cure the lovelorn from loving too much. These performers encamped in an orderly manner, non frenzy. Some mingled; all were dressed as city people are, meaning well dressed and if they were sleeping in the station wagons, they were sober and honest folks capable of putting on a circus that could not only electrify but edify. And they had an elephant.
ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY
“The problem, of course, is that Trump is crazy. He’s like every other corporate tyrant in that his solution to most things follows the logic of Stalin: no person, no problem. You’re fired! Except as president he’d have other people-removing options, all of which he likes: torture, mass deportations, the banning of 23% of the Earth’s population from entering the United States, etc.
He seems to be coming around to the idea that having an ego smaller than that of, say, an Egyptian Pharaoh would be a sign of weakness. So of late, his already-insane idea to build a “beautiful” wall across the Mexican border has evolved to the point where he also wants the wall to be named after him. He told Maria Bartiromo he wanted to call it the “Great Wall of Trump.”
In his mind, it all makes sense. Drugs come from Mexico; the wall will keep out Mexicans; therefore, no more drugs. “We’re gonna stop it,” he says. “You’re not going to have the drugs coming in destroying your children. Your kids are going to look all over the place and they’re not going to be able to find them.”
Obviously! Because no one’s ever tried wide-scale drug prohibition before. …. “King Trump. Brace yourselves, America. It’s really happening.”
GIMME VIDS & PICS
Dear Web Editor,
Couple observations aside:
I, for one, like the inclusion of pics, videos occasionally, various stuff. Zack's corner has been crackling, thank you! It makes theava a little magazine-like, but still available to those who're dedicated Readers, since they can just cruise on by any item therein without so much as a click. With the present cast and perspectives apparent in your offices, I have no fear theava might become some national enquirer kind of deal.
Today's cartoon of our projected 'choice' of two dandy candidates for President is so excruciatingly good. I really admire those who can capture a very precise likeness in so few strokes, so quickly. These particular images need to go in the Cartoon Smithsonian, or something...they are such mercilessly accurate portraits of these two over-privileged, dangerous gasbags...yes indeedy, Freedom of Choice (Registered Trademark)...
Of even more trivial interest:
The pic of the 'mustard' sea positively hollers California, doesn't it? Good work! I grew up in CA, and we called these plants mustard the whole time. Turns out, according to a wild mycologist friend who's business had him stumbling across this stuff, those aggressive plants with mostly yellow flowers (trending to white, lavender, blue in places), are actually wild radishes. Pull one up...they come out easily...and shake off the dirt. These clean up nicely, they're crisp and tasty, and it looks like there're lots of them, so far. (Pick ones away from zones likely to be irrigated by the neighborhood dogs...)
I like the photos, the videos, the works...
Thanks again,
Rick Weddle, Hawaii
REGISTER!
Editor,
If you're anything like me, you are thrilled that progressive Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is seriously challenging the corrupt to the core Democratic Party establishment candidate — former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — for the Democratic Party presidential nomination. But, if also like me, you are not a registered Democrat, you will not be able to vote for Bernie in the upcoming California Democratic Party primary on June 7th unless you re-register to vote as a Democrat. The deadline to re-register is May 23rd and you can get a registration form at a US Post Office or register on-line at http://registertovote.ca.gov/.
Do it right away just to be sure, Bernie is going to need all of our help to topple the oligarchy.
Sincerely,
Jon Spitz, Laytonville
ON YOUR MARK, GET SET, GO!
Dear Friends,
Today’s “Team Lake County Hour" will feature Jacqui Maxman, coordinator of TLC’s Disaster Case Management Committee, the clearinghouse for identifying the as-yet “unmet needs” of last year’s fire survivors.
Today we’ll focus on what resources are available to identify those “unmet needs,” and how TLC is building “partnerships” with agencies and organizations that can help provide resources for the many dislocated households still struggling to relocate permanently or hoping to rebuild on their own land.
[TLC's Construction Committee is leading the effort to find (or build) a facility for temporarily housing volunteer skilled work forces — due to arrive as soon as space is available. Our Board of Supervisors will hear a proposal next Tuesday (Item 9.4) for use of county property to construct a dormitory for visiting work crews, sponsored by District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown. Some TLC supporters are transitioning to smaller, more centralized donation/service centers (the Workright location is now officially closed) for those whose homes will be rebuilt by generous donors from Hope City, Mennonite Disaster Services, Habitat for Humanity, and many local contributors.]
In the meantime, an unknown number of former renters with limited means (whose landlords may not choose to rebuild, or at least not right away) are pitted against a tough rental market and other resource limitations. (Nearly every involved organization is seeking a definitive answer to the question of how many remain in dire straights, and which is the best option for providing assistance — as soon as new information is available, we’ll let you know.)
Next week we’ll happily share the airwaves with two visiting volunteers from AmeriCorps (and kick off the annual AmeriCorps Week nation-wide) to thank them for their help with the now-closed main donations center), and Sheriff Brian Martin will visit to give us an update on how the Lake County Office of Emergency Services is building greater capacity for long-term recovery and disaster response assistance, as part of the County’s leading law enforcement agency.
Meanwhile, a new version of our promotional flyer* has been created, acknowledging both the Redbud Health Care District and Mendo-Lake Credit Union for their generous support to produce KPFZ’s Special Sunday programs — the TLC Hour and What’s Next? — please forward all this to any community members you may know with a continued interest in Lake County’s Long-Term Recovery.
See you on the radio!
Betsy Cawn Clearlake
PS. Special thanks to Max Butler, of the Sa-Sam Gallery in Upper Lake, for his beautiful artwork framing (in more ways than one) our outreach to the whole community — we’re here for everyone!
87% OF EUREKA'S HOMELESS
Matthew In The Middle: High Noon for Eureka's Homeless (Lost Coast Outpost)
http://lostcoastoutpost.com/2016/jan/4/matthew-middle-high-noon-eurekas-homeless/
SPAM OF THE WEEK:
AVA: “Kindly advise if your company has the license or capability to execute a multi million Dollars supply project for the State of Libya Government.
— Tijani”
AVA Reply: No. Sorry.
DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE Vice Chair Tulsi Gabbard stepped down from her post Sunday and endorsed Bernie Sanders for president. "I think it’s most important for us, as we look at our choices as to who our next commander in chief will be, is to recognize the necessity to have a commander in chief who has foresight, who exercises good judgment," Gabbard, a US representative for Hawaii, said on NBC's Meet the Press.
IF YOU'RE A TEN PERCENTER — the Marine Corps, circa 1957, estimated that 10% of Marines had no idea what was happening — you won't know Measure V has qualified for the June 2016 ballot. Mendo firefighters gathered 5,000 signatures to qualify the initiative titled “Shall the People of Mendocino County Declare Intentionally Killed and Left Standing Trees a Public Nuisance?”
LOTS OF TIMBER OWNERS hack and squirt to remove non-commercial “junk” trees, most notably the County's largest timber owner, Mendocino Redwood Company. If Measure V passes, hack and squirters could be held liable for the dead standing trees left behind, especially if they ignite. Hack-and-squirt involves “hacking” a notch into unwanted trees, then “squirting” the notch with an herbicide (Imazapyr) to kill the tree, thus, critics of the method say, increasing fire danger.
FEBRUARY AT THE BEACH
TRUMP & MUSSOLINI
Okay, I know it's a cliche and a low blow when liberals compare American conservative politicians to historical fascists. But in the video above Mussolini even looks like Donald Trump without the hair. And there's the air of Trump-like self-satisfaction as he basks in the adoration of the crowd.
Trump's disingenuous response to David Duke's endorsement makes calling him a fascist not such a low blow.
— Rob Anderson (Courtesy, District5Diary)
A PLAGUE ON BOTH PARTIES. More and more people are not stating a political preference when they register to vote. Secretary of State Padilla says of California's 17.3 million registered voters 43 percent were registered as Democrats, 27 percent as Republicans, the rest decline to state. Padilla said despite increases in the population only 70 percent of those eligible to vote are registered.
CHRIS ROCK’S OSCAR'S OPENING MONOLOGUE
Man, I counted at least 15 black people on that montage. I’m here at the Academy Awards, otherwise known as the White People’s Choice Awards.
You realize if they nominated hosts, I wouldn’t even get this job. So y’all would be watching Neil Patrick Harris right now.
But this is the wildest, craziest Oscars to ever host, because we’ve got all this controversy. No, no black nominees, you know, and people are like “Chris, you should boycott. Chris, you should quit. You should quit!”
How come there’s only unemployed people that tell you to quit something? You know? No one with a job ever tells you to quit.
So, I thought about quitting. I thought about it real hard. But, I realized, they’re gonna have the Oscars anyway. They’re not gonna cancel the Oscars because I quit. You know? And the last thing I need is to lose another job to Kevin Hart, OK?
I don’t need that. Kev right there — Kev makes movies fast. Every month. Porno stars don’t make movies that fast.
Now the thing is, Why are we protesting? The big question: Why this Oscars?
It’s the 88th Academy Awards. It’s the 88th Academy Awards, which means this whole no black nominees thing has happened at least 71 other times. OK?
You gotta figure that it happened in the 50s, in the 60s — you know, in the 60s, one of those years Sidney didn’t put out a movie. I’m sure there were no black nominees some of those years. Say ‘62 or ‘63, and black people did not protest.
Why? Because we had real things to protest at the time, you know? We had real things to protest; you know, we’re too busy being raped and lynched to care about who won best cinematographer.
You know, when your grandmother’s swinging from a tree, it’s really hard to care about best documentary foreign short.
But what happened this year? What happened? People went mad. Spike got mad, — got mad, and Jada went mad, and Will went mad. Everybody went mad, you know?
Jada got mad? Jada says she not coming, protesting. I’m like ain’t she on a TV show?
Jada [Pinkett Smith, actress, wife of Will Smith] is going to boycott the Oscars — Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna’s panties. I wasn’t invited.
Oh, that’s not an invitation I would turn down.
But I understand, I’m not hating. I understand you mad. Jada’s mad her man Will was not nominated for “Concussion.” I get it, I get it.
Tell the truth. I get it, I get it. You get mad — it’s not fair that Will was this good and didn’t get nominated.
Yeah, you’re right. It’s also not fair that Will was paid $20 million for “Wild Wild West.” O.K.?
Thing, you know, this year, the Oscars, things are gonna be a little different. Things are going to be a little different at the Oscars. This year, in the In Memoriam package, it’s just going to be black people that were shot by the cops on their way to the movies.
Yes, yes. I said it. Alright?
Hey, if you want black nominees every year, you need to just have black categories. That’s what you need. You need to have black categories.
You already do it with men and women. Think about it: There’s no real reason for there to be a man and a woman category in acting.
C’mon. There’s no reason. It’s not track and field.
You don’t have to separate ‘em. You know, Robert De Niro’s never said, “I better slow this acting down, so Meryl Streep can catch up.”
No, not at all, man. If you want black people every year at the Oscars, just have black categories like Best Black Friend.
That’s right. “And the winner for the 18th year in a row is Wanda Sykes. This is Wanda’s 18th Black Oscar.”
But here’s the real question. The real question everybody wants to know, everybody wants to know in the world is: Is Hollywood racist? Is Hollywood racist?
You know, that’s a...you gotta go at that at the right way.
Is it burning-cross racist? No.
Is it fetch-me-some-lemonade racist? No. No, no, no.
It’s a different type of racist. Now, I remember one night I was at a fund-raiser for President Obama. A lot of you were there. And, you know, it’s me and all of Hollywood.
And it’s all of us there. And it’s about four black people there: me, uh, let’s see, Quincy Jones, Russell Simmons, Questlove. You know, the usual suspects, right? And every black actor that wasn’t working.
Needless, to say Kev Hart was not there. O.K.? So, at some point you get to take a picture with the president, and, you know as they’re setting up the picture you get a little moment with the president.
I’m like, “Mr. President, you see all these writers and producers and actors? They don’t hire black people, and they’re the nicest, white people on earth! They’re liberals! Cheese!”
That’s right. Is Hollywood racist? You’re damn right Hollywood is racist. But it ain’t that racist that you’ve grown accustomed to.
Hollywood is sorority racist.
It’s like, “We like you Rhonda, but you’re not a Kappa.”
That’s how Hollywood is.
But things are changing. Things are changing.
We got a black Rocky this year. Some people call it “Creed.” I call it “Black Rocky.”
And that’s a big, that’s an unbelievable statement. I mean, cause “Rocky” takes place in a world where white athletes are as good as black athletes.
“Rocky” is a science fiction movie. There’s things that happened in “Star Wars” that are more believable than things that happened in “Rocky,” O.K.?
But hey, we’re here to honor actors. We’re here to honor actors, we’re here to honor films.
There’s a lot of snubs, lot of snubs. One of the biggest snubs no one’s talking about: My favorite actor in the world is Paul Giamatti.
Paul Giamatti, I believe, is the greatest actor in the world. Think about what Paul Giamatti has done the last couple of years.
Last year, he’s in “12 Years a Slave” — hates black people. This year he’s in “Straight Outta Compton” — loves black people.
Last year, he was whooping Lupita; this year, he’s crying at Eazy-E’s funeral.
Now, that’s range. Ben Affleck can’t do that.
What I’m trying to say is, you know, it’s not about boycotting anything. It’s just, we want opportunity. We want black actors to get the same opportunities as white actors.
That’s it. Not just once. Leo gets a great part every year and, you know, everybody, all you guys, get great parts all the time.
But what about the black actors?
Look at Jamie Foxx. Jamie Foxx is one of the best actors in the world, man. Jamie Foxx was so good in “Ray” that they went to the hospital and unplugged the real Ray Charles. It’s like, “We don’t need two of these!” Nah, man.
You know, everything’s not about race, man. Another big thing tonight is — somebody told me this — you’re not allowed to ask women what they’re wearing anymore.
There’s this whole thing, “Ask her more. You have to ask her more.” You know it’s like, You ask the men more.
Everything’s not sexism, everything’s not racism.
They ask the men more because the men are all wearing the same outfits, O.K.? Every guy in there is wearing the exact same thing.
You know, if George Clooney showed up with a lime green tux on, and a swan coming out his ass, somebody would go, “What you wearing, George?”
Hey, welcome to the 88th Oscars, Academy Awards. Yes, thank you.
LIBRARY EVENTS
First Friday Art Walk, March 4th 5-7:30 pm
Come and enjoy visions of the starry sky from around the world at the Ukiah Library. There will be a hands-on surface-tension experiment throughout the evening and an artist presentation with Volkhard Sturzbecher at 6 p.m. showing the Vitamin C molecular structure as it grows and compacts. There will also be a Friends of the Library book sale. This event is for all ages and free of charge.
* * *
PBS/POV documentary about Shirley Chisholm:
Chisholm 72: Unbought and Unbossed, by Shola Lynch
Wed. March 2nd 5:30 pm
On Wednesday, March 2nd at 5:30 pm, in celebration of Women’s History Month, the Mendocino County Library, Ukiah Branch is screening the PBS/Point of View documentary, Chisholm 72: Unbought and Unbossed, by Shola Lynch.
Shirley Chisholm was the first black female member of Congress and the first major party black candidate to run for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. Chisholm supported civil rights legislation, the Equal Rights Amendment, and a minimum family income.
Chishom 72 won the Peabody Award in 2006 and was nominated for the Sundance Grand Jury Prize in 2004.
A discussion, recorded and moderated by KZYX&Z - Mendocino County Public Broadcasting General Manager, Lorraine Dechter, will follow the film. All PBS/Point of View documentary screenings are food friendly. Bring your dinner or snacks.
By operation of law, as the judge will reiterate, the restraining order will kick over automatically. This, to my mind, is a huge advantage, because of the “insulation factor” which is to say it works both ways. Certainly, you as the restrained party must bow to these individuals — as if you’d be yearning for their company, anyway — and yes, they can trespass all over you! And you have no recourse, save one: They now have no one to blame for their loss of huge sums of $$$ except …well, you know who? Keep in mind that the windyviduals you contend with are far more articulate in the baffling lexicon of bureaucratese (supposing I may coin such an unwieldy term) than you can hope for,eh?
Happy Leap Year Day
You say you want a revolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
You tell me that it’s evolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
But when you talk about destruction
Don’t you know that you can count me out
Don’t you know it’s gonna be all right
All right, all right
You say you got a real solution
Well, you know
We’d all love to see the plan
You ask me for a contribution
Well, you know
We’re doing what we can
But when you want money
For people with minds that hate
All I can tell is brother you have to wait
Don’t you know it’s gonna be all right
All right, all right
Ah
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah…
You say you’ll change the constitution
Well, you know
We all want to change your head
You tell me it’s the institution
Well, you know
You better free you mind instead
But if you go carrying pictures of chairman Mao
You ain’t going to make it with anyone anyhow
Don’t you know it’s gonna be all right
All right, all right
All right, all right, all right
All right, all right, all right
I had absolutely no idea that Angelo was intercepting the BOS’s communication with the public. The email portal on their website does not make that disclaimer. I wonder how many more citizens have unknowenly ended up on the nurse’s naughty list
I feel like the double crossed messenger, all alone.
((((Mr. Marmon)))
least we forget “groupthink”?
There’s another path for your dreams to come true if you just stop working at beating that dead horse that makes you feel double crossed and all alone.
You want me to shut up too, right? Well I’m pretty close to telling everyone just to go to hell!!!!! Is that what you’re suggesting?
No, I’m not suggesting you shut up. I just think that your message hasn’t found it’s medium. It has if, all you want to be is be on a restraining order, or if posting about your grievences on the AVA are good enough for you, then hey.. you’re not alone. I just get this idea that you have a worthy mission and it may reach a productive audience if it was presented in a book or film, or video. Something that ultimately enables you a victory. I think you need a bigger soap box.
Public employees unfortunately don’t have the same free reign in the speech department that private citizens do in the public square. (Private employers have even stronger authority to limit free speech.)
But, now James is a private citizen and it does appear that this is a restraining order that no longer has applicability if there’s no actual physical threat posed, and there isn’t. So, the question should be why is he still barred from speaking in the public square, like a BOS meeting.
I would suggest exploring the federal civil rights and laws with a lawyer and seeing if you might have resort to asking for a FBI investigation.
The County maintains that when I contacted the BOS as an employee, that I went public. I never went public while I was an employee, but the machine sees the BOS as the public and will do any thing it can to limit their exposure to the truth. What’s sad is, they like it that way. They think that they are conpletely immune to any criticism themselves because they always have someone else to blame. Cowards.
I feel that pursuant Welfare and Institution Code 272 I was expected to carry out my duties assigned direcly by the Board of Supervsors. When I was no longer able to fulfill those duties because of restrictions placed on me by administration, I felt they needed to know. I tried the chain of command but was unsuccessfil.
Stop the pigeon, right. Snitches get stiches.
Slogged through the all-day sucker of a top-dog review (Kemper Report) and was rewarded by seeing the ever-apt Ms. Nesch in action. Kept waiting to hear “I never promised you a rose garden” to accompany the “not-an-excuse” pleading of Ortner’s rep, and can only wonder where McGowan is coming from.
Great job being done by Mendo health advocates, trudging through the non-contract-management schemes (shades of Lake County — our gummint has a system for keeping the public from understanding how its contracts work, that leaves “management” of contracts to the department distributing the funds allocated to it during twice-annual budget hearings. Budget mumbo jumbo is impervious to public inquiry here because — hey, they don’t have to answer your questions, so don’t ask).
Hard to countenance the impression that Lake County’s “mental ills” are different than Mendo’s, but we don’t have the visible lesions on society’s visage that appear in your daily docket, and no real numbers of any kind are evinced from gentle inquiry — homeless, suicidal, self-squelching (drug/alkie consumers), short-shrifters (thieves, bullies, crooks, cheats), purposeless consumers of chamber of commerce drivel — to account for millions in federal and state revenues intended to assuage the inability of our “economy” to provide decent paid jobs and aid the disabled.
No, over here in Lake County, information is “privileged” and the public is out of line for asking questions such as where does the funding come from, what is it legally obligated to produce, and how has the resultant product served the purpose of the contract. Bravo to all you hardworking communitarians who are holding OMG, Mendo Health & Human Services, and County Administration to task for their responsibilities — which apparently Sheriff Allman takes greatly heart. Long live the AVA!
Jon Spitz’s post: The Democrats in California aren’t allowing non party members to vote in the primary either, like the Republicans? Why did this change in the last four years? I thought California was supposed to have “open” primaries.
I just checked the voteforbernie.org website and it said to vote in the California primary one must be registered Democrat or No Party Preference to vote in the Democratic primary.
http://ivn.us/2016/02/22/no-party-preference-voters-will-soon-outnumber-republicans-in-california/
“California uses a nonpartisan, top-two open primary for statewide and congressional races, meaning all candidates and voters (regardless of party preference) participate on a single ballot and the top two vote-getters move on to the November general election.
“However, California still uses a semi-closed system for presidential primaries, meaning private political parties ultimately get to decide whether or not independent voters can participate in the first integral stage of the public election process.”
California registered voters: 43% Democrat, 27% Republican, the rest decline to state…..What about Greens, Libertarians, Peace and Freedom, etc??
What about those eligible who are so fed up with the system that they don’t register? I suspect they are a sizable percentage.
Re: ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY
No crazier than any of the flunkies of wealth running under the banners of wing or the other of the single corporate party. I love seeing psuedolibs running scared, for all their false assurance that Trump simply cannot win, especially against the she-monster. I continue to hope that both wings of the corporate party melt down, permanently, and soon.
Right now, the Kemper study for County of Mendocino Board of Supervisors, mental health contracts and implementation oversight, are hot button issues to the tune of $20 million.
In the matter to overturn re-issuance of the judicial restraining order, in the case filed by Mendocino Acting County Counsel,
Bruce McEwen, an Anderson Valley Advertiser writer, in online AVA comment on February 29, 2016, may be right so to speak, that the deck is stacked against James Marmon’s First Amendment right to the Freedom of Speech clause, because of previous County employment.
However McEwen’s opinion could have been made in context, to use idioms of, ’tilting at windmills’ and ‘can’t fight City Hall.’
So I am almost sure that my comments here would be riddled with holes by the presiding arm chair pundit or County Counsel. But the lesson as always, is to try to provide suggestions to learn and grow from, along with any spoonful of criticism. That said, here I go.
I believe it is absurd that all comments about Mendocino County (which casts a wide net on all topics) in a County initiated restraining go only to a County Counsel, if the information relayed is not privileged protected otherwise.
Also if sending email to BoS@… goes to all Supervisors and Carmel Angelo, then each Supervisor could be emailed at their individual public County email address. If that isn’t enough though, at least some of the Supervisors can be emailed at private email addresses used for their election campaign.
I would disagree with Acting County Counsel that Marmon continues to be focused on the events that occurred in 2011. I believe disingenuous for Acting County Counsel to suggest otherwise, but that’s what certain lawyers do.
In fact, James Marmon appears to be most positively focused on the sham contract implementation of mental health services with Ortner Management Group apparently ill administered by the County, now becoming widely debated on Board of Supervisors Agenda, last meeting and next on March 01, 2016.
And the Acting County Counsel referenced December 24,2015 online comment made by Marmon at the AVA website, about the “restraining order is going to be a big thing before it is over,” actually rings true and has come to fruition, for agitating since the referenced May 2015 ongoing string of opinions posted by him, for members of the public to look closer at County services that he focuses on.
One of the ‘three named protected individuals’ in the restraining order, is terminating employment on April 01, 2016, and assumed partially, is for alleged improper mental health contractual preparation and oversight, but perhaps simply had too many tasks and responsibilities.
Sitting members of the Board of Supervisors are now poised to be viewed improperly as fools for approving a $20 million mental health private agency contract, agreeing to passage with lip service hollow promise, that contractual language that does not even meet minimum accountability standards common in government contracts, would be updated after approval.
Supervisors at this time may continue with update of contractual performance language, for convenience in an attempt to protect their own re-election future public image appearance sake, or for convenience, if for no other reason, but of course details are more complicated than this erroneous summary.
This letter is speaking to the Kemper Report mental health contract and is actually on topic continuing on Agenda.
And for James Marmon as alleged in Acting County Counsel documents, to AVA post on January 2, 2016, ‘i(s) Ms. Angelo just another CIA operative?’, well, that appears to be a satirical query, asking to gain perspective from the public.
Even though she is one of the ‘three named protected persons’, County CEO Carmel Angelo, is the former head of the umbrella agency, now subject to the mental health oversight with reasonably intimate knowledge of agency working details, at which the previously referenced one of ‘three named protected persons’ is now resigning from.
There is no prior restraint clause in the restraining order, or perhaps there is as an unconstitutional over-reach which would not be held up on appeal with qualified counsel in civil/criminal prosecution, that James Marmon cannot ask a question on a website of a newspaper of general circulation, which probably has even been taken further out of context by Acting Counsel.
To be restrained to have no written comment to anyone anywhere about anything about Mendocino County except to County Counsel office, which on its face, would not be limited to the non-profit government that has ‘Mendocino County’ in it’s name, or even if it was limited to so called Mendocino County government agencies, would be absurd.
A proper procedural Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Request might be for Mr. Marmon or members of the public or Board of Supervisors, to file with Acting County Counsel.
The inquiry could be as to what constructive written comments of James Marmon on specifically the Kemper Report and associated affiliated matters before the Board of Supervisors or its various departments and related agencies or contractors and volunteers, has the County Counsel office gathered.
Second request would be what has been released and forwarded for consideration in the operation of government, to selected staff, contractors, and elected official(s).
Is the above referenced ‘CIA operative’ a threat? What intelligence? Is it institutional reliance on prescription pharmaceutical medications which most actually may permanently alter brain function for the worse, administered by trained professionals.
Or is the real untreated germane cause may be lack of positive human contact or methamphetamine toxicity and nutrient mineral deficiency or imbalance?
CEO Carmel Angelo has been employed in an embattled but cozy world, with some members of the Board of Supervisors being re-elected without even token opposition.
Here we have Supervisors trying to do their jobs, gain public input. But-
1.) There has been no movement to re-establish weekly meeting of the Board.
2.) No effort has been made, despite extensive remodeling of adjacent executive offices, to install the framed out second natural skylight area of the public meeting are Board Chambers.
This would benefit the mental health decision making and reading comprehension in public seating area, occasioned by staff and interested members of the public. Previous permanent Board Chambers at the Courthouse, had west facing window, to brighten up firm resolution decision making as the day drew long.
3.) No will has been sustained to replace ‘action minutes’ of the Board, in favor of previous policy of many decades of the Supervisors, to have more comprehensive meeting minutes as a draft issued within a few days.
There is over reliance on experienced staff and retaining experienced elected officials for institutional memory, which sometimes results in very high salaries to retain overall perspective, which is vulnerable to falling through the cracks, when retirement or better opportunities elsewhere surface.
There needs to be at least a brief description in meeting minutes of the discussion and each speaker’s position from a concise perspective, without having to view hours and hours of videos to gain an convenient overview, on vast array of County issues, including what each member of the Board of Supervisors is reporting to each other, on paper for easy timeline reference.
The chickens have come home to roost. The Supervisors are learning in terms of mental health contractual and other looming ominous issues now before the Board, but perhaps lessons will not be learned.
The Board of Supervisors can’t do it all, even with well paid or poorly paid staff, that some things are too overwhelming to streamline into hands of few supporters. Government is suppose to be a public business for the citizens, and should treat it as such, economic budget, logistics, regulatory demands, environmental issues, sustainable growth, and public interest allowing.
I continue my Kemper Report oversight comments below intermixed, and I have other related comments part and parcel to move forward with the encompassing related matters, beyond the orderly procedural policy of government.
Specifically I would focus in terms of benefit to, county retirees and mental health implementation mitigation preventative dentistry contractual design, practices, and implementation beyond the gap in private interest American Dental Association current general commercial practice and recommendations for care.
But I see now the public discourse with the example of James Marmon actually for public benefit in County raising issues. No doubt he is also trying to repair his professional interest in social services including the mental health matters rising in the Kemper Report.
This is despite his own career seemingly being destroyed with a Mendocino County free speech ban order in effect.
County of Mendocino could do the right thing and reconsider him, beyond being intimated by his physical size, and getting over a County case jurisdiction non violent confrontation that got out of hand, perhaps with no fault of his own.
Mr. Marmon has made a case where he could in the courts and with the public online, and if allowed could make a re-appearance to benefit Mendocino County or to clear the cloud on his record, to re-establish employment in some County, as he has worked in many with his field of expertise.
It may take further over turn of staff who benefits from the restraining order before James Marmon is recognized for what he has positively contributed.
This staff allegedly was involved in a possible cover up though opinions may differ, that may have placed Mr.Marmon in an untenable position to protect his state social worker certificate (I believe) level 5 (highest).
Mr. Marmon claims to not agree to a cover-up where he would have been legally at risk and it was possibly other staff who perhaps should have received a reprimand, instead of him, as he alleges, but did he did walk away with $50,000.
And on other past employees, I personally I had multi decade understanding with someone who worked for the County Social Services Department for that amount of time, and was faced with a repetitive motion injury on job.
Social Services was told by the employee how the work could be continued at same pace, with making a simple adjustment of equipment and procedures.
But the suggestion for humane workplace environment was denied, and after years more, employee went out on paid leave, Work Comp, for surgery and rehabilitation, then returned after a long while for more years of work.
Again occurred was similar repetitive motions with no work place consideration for health of employee, then the injured finally leaving out of state with full retirement pay, and continuing severe arm shoulder chronic pain.
Perhaps the interior of the mostly windowless monolith Social Services building has a few skylights, thus lack of balanced daylight supplementation. I am not sure. It is not necessary to downsize government into private sector a la Kemper Report, because of entrenched oversight administrators who are aging.
I made this above comment as something is very wrong at Social Services where James Marmon worked, but the Kemper Report, which continues as an Agenda Item, stems from the County of Mendocino Board of Supervisors Chambers and its elected officials, and how contractual and personnel matters are handled by department heads and litigated through the courts.
Only hope I see is for the Board of Supervisors, in its wisdom with supportive staff and contractors, rise above the fray and not make decisions necessarily on short sighted political expediency.
I ask the Board to look forward to continuance of the County as an organization that finally finds fiscally prudent solutions that implement the Precautionary Principle.
The County of Mendocino is sworn to uphold this principle as part of its rules or regulations, short of directly investing in ownership of some of the most productive agricultural land in the County, unless perhaps there is a net County benefit, that cannot be sustained by private interests.
This is an era of extreme climate disruption, and whether there is some value as such with a questionable Public Bank in a proposed Charter County, that considers return to a County Administrative Office form of government, in place of County Executive Office at the County of Mendocino Board of Supervisors, remains to be contemplated in the near future.
RE: Ortner on the ropes.
I respectfully disagree with you miss Necsh, the message I was carrying to the board was about RCS and CPS conbined.
What inside information do you have to prove me wrong, I went in there, did you?
I actually believe that Ortner is the fall guy in all this. Over the past two decades the children’s system of care has absorbed millions and millions of dollars that should have been spent on the adults, who could in turn be responsible for providing for their own children’s needs instead of the Schraeders having to worry abut it.
The County intentionally dismantled their adult program to the point that it was near IMPOSSIBLE to recover. I don’t Ortner had any idea of what they were really getting into.
The only reason RQMG faired any better than OMG is because they had a twenty year head start. OMG was forced to start from scratch and were hindered by not having any history on any of our clients. Records are extremely important in this business. I want to see RQMS’s books before we go any further wit them. A real independent fiscal audit, not another coverup.
Keith A couple of days ago I covered the percentage of voters who register with one of the 4 minor parties. These four parties represent 4.5% or 771,000 voters. I wrote about where their supporters are located and about the platform of the Peace & Freedom party.
“Where their supporters are located.”….You mean geographically? I’d be interested to know that.
Why not bring this horrible suppression of someone’s free speech rights by county officials to the SF news media market, and onwards from that?
Why not go to the FBI also, to investigate possible violations of the federal civil rights act?