Mendocino County Today: Sunday, Apr 24, 2016

• AV Shooting
• Frost Forecast
• PA Cronies
• Prop W
• Crabs Better
• Drought On
• Beast Awaits
• Smoking Logic
• Mendo #2
• Yesterday's Catch
• 911 Bill
• Junkfood Heaven
• Third Rails
• Camp Cruz
• Stone Berns
• Landlines Threatened
• Salmonberry Wine
• Eel Report
• Purple Rain
• The Donald
• Democratizing KZYX
• American Empire
• June 1975
• Marco Radio

SHOOTING IN THE ANDERSON VALLEY. Details are still sketchy, but a shooting at 18595 Philo-Greenwood Road (near the entrance to Hendy Woods), occurred last night (Saturday) about 8pm. The wounded man is identified as Lorenzo Rodriguez. He was driven to Pic 'N Pay in central Boonville by a young woman in "a white Chevrolet." The shooter has been identified as Bobby Kuny, 18, whose family has deep roots in the Anderson Valley. Kuny is said to have been armed with a .22 pistol. Rodriguez, in his early thirties, reportedly had been drinking and had been threatening Kuny with a knife. Rodriguez was shot several times and was "non-responsive" at Pic 'N Pay when deputies arrived. A medical helicopter was not available to fly to Boonville and Rodriguez was transported to the Ukiah hospital by the Anderson Valley Ambulance. Bobby Kuny handed the unloaded weapon to the deputy when deputies arrived at the scene of the shooting in Philo. He was detained and questioned, but not arrested as deputies determined he'd fired in self-defense. Bobby Kuny enjoys a reputation in the Anderson Valley as a good natured youth who has never been involved in a violent episode. Rodriguez is in serious condition in a Santa Rosa hospital where he is expected to recover.

"PATCHY FROST WILL BE POSSIBLE early in the week in some protected coastal valleys, particularly Monday and Tuesday mornings," says the National Weather Service. This means everyone within shouting distance of a frost fan might want to schedule a sleepover or two with a distant friend.

OXYMORON OF THE WEEK: “I don’t believe it is a business that needs a business license.” — Point Arena City Councilman Jim Koogle, responding to a question from Independent Coast Observer editor J. Steven McLaughlin about the Grand Jury’s recent finding that Koogle’s “partnership” in a Point Arena biodiesel “club” that bought biodiesel fuel in bulk and sold it to club members. Koogle claimed that the operation had been looked at by a County code enforcement officer six years ago and “found no violation.” But there’s no documentation of Koogle's claim.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM6dBYg4Ui8

(Notice in this video how there are not even any gas-station style controls, safety measures or containment measures that would be routinely and properly required of any other diesel-fuel operation.)

THE GRAND JURY had found that Point Arena’s catch as catch can “code enforcement” was unevenly applied, imposing city regs on some fogeaters, but ignoring those of City Council members, most notably Koogle, who “operated a bio-diesel fueling business without having applied for or received a business license.”

THE GRAND JURY also pointed out that (former) City Councilmember Deborah Heatherstone “was residing in an unpermitted structure in the City lacking sewer hookups, and that the Councilmember residing there was disposing of human and other wastes on-site illegally. Specifically, human waste was being disposed of using composting and dishwashing/laundry wastes by means of a ‘gray water’ method that does not meet the definition of acceptable gray water found in the State Health and Safety Code. Furthermore, these activities were occurring in close proximity to Point Arena Creek.”

THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY finally filed misdemeanor public nuisance charges against Heatherstone in December, which she plead guilty to under a “deferred entry of judgment,” which means the charges will be dropped if she stops her illegal sewage dumping. Heatherstone told the ICO that she plead guilty “partly” because she was “not eligible for a public defender and had to defend herself in court.” (Obviously, she’s better off with the deal she got with the DA. If she’d been defended by Public Defender Linda Thompson she’d be behind bars already.)

HEATHERSTONE’S CO-VIOLATOR, Koogle, said that the City “dropped the ball” on Heatherstone’s case because her violation “was during a period of transition last year when the city had an interim city manager,” adding, without any indication he was being ironic, “I disagree with the allegations of cronyism.”

HEATHERSTONE submitted her resignation from the City Council in the wake of the Grand Jury report leaving only three people on the Council, only one of whom was elected; the other two were appointed to fill earlier resignation-created vacancies.

CITY MANGER RICHARD SHOEMAKER, among Mendocino's masters of the art of cronyism, and currently paid $50,000 annually to "manage" Point Arena's roughly 500 citizens, said the City would be filing formal responses to the Grand Jury report in the required 60-90 days.

PROP W. Groan. Sigh. Eye glaze. On balance, a County charter might, in capable hands, be desirable. In these hands? Ah, well, not to insult anyone, but if we're selecting people to get good things done, we are skeptical.

HERE AT BOONVILLE'S BELOVED weekly newspaper, we've discussed the local charter movement. Reading the long list of cool-o things that could be done via charter county status, it occurs to us that almost all of them could be brought off by Supervisors right now, and at this time we have a pretty good board of supervisors. The local charterists apparently don't agree. They'd clearly like to do an end-around the Supes.

SURE, it would be sensible to "put a cap on county pensions." Eventually, Mendo, like many other civic entities in the state, will bankrupt itself paying for retiree golden years. But try cutting public pensions and here come the lawsuits that will cost the County even more money to defend.

MEASURE "W" REALLY STANDS FOR "WHY?"

What's wrong with it is that it sucks up what little progressive energy there is in Mendo by pretending that anything of practical benefit will come from it.

The County can already do a local investment revolving fund if they want to engage in local investing. Why don't the Measure W stalwarts just advocate that, not the bigger and nearly impossible "public bank" idea?

A few years ago the County actually did pass a "precautionary principle" ordinance like the one the Measure W-ers say they want. It's already there. What good has it done? None. No practical benefit.

Measure H, the anti-GMO thing. Already done. Great. Again, no practical value. Nobody has or will propose growing GMO crops in Mendo. Ever.

Why don't these people spend time circulating and advocating for things that can be done NOW?

A living wage ordinance like Sonoma County has?

Implementation of the county's existing local investment authority, revolving funds, the local Workforce Investment Board, etc.?

Redirect the First 5 $1 million annually to direct childcare subsidies for working mothers? (Instead, First Five takes most of that annual mil to "help" the people it allegedly helps.)

Forced implementation of the existing Precautionary Principle that nobody ever even brings up for bad projects already in the pipeline?

An increase in the paltry 5% local bidder incentive rate. Raise it to 10% or more so that local bidders get a bigger break in awarding County contracts leading to more money circulating locally.

Better funding (including mental health dollars) for local clinics and local ambulance services, less for the Adventists and Falck.

Better funding and increased usage (i.e., the County itself and local schools) for that very interesting new "FoodHub" concept that could actually help local food farmers and serve more areas of the County.

Real enforcement of existing water laws, more creek evaluations and cleanups.

NOTICE that the Charterists don't even mention these achievable things in their list of prospective Charter County benefits. It's all rhetorical bs about local control, home rule, listening to the public, “we the people,” free speech, "environmental sustainability," the horrors of (unspecified) corporate domination and state law.

Instead they speculate on things like:

A public bank. (Illegal according to County Treasurer Shari Schapmire, risky and dumb too. Who do you want deciding who to give local taxpayer money to?)

"Increased social service levels." Oh yeah. They're going to force the County to violate state and federal law on welfare levels. (Again, why not propose re-directing the wasted First 5 money?)

And they admit that nothing the Charter Commission would do would get in the way of the Board of Supervisors existing authority or existing County law, which is simply untrue.

Here's a summary of what their Charter would probably end up looking like after two or three years of listening to "the public" i.e., themselves: We the People of Mendocino County like good things. We think good thoughts and we want you to think good thoughts. We like marijuana, organic gardens, water, air, the ocean, good sustainable low-impact jobs, fewer cops, more money for us to do our good things, more therapists to "help" people, better macrame classes at Mendo College, more time on KZYX to talk about our wonderful selves... (Where's TWK when we need him?)

MEANWHILE, while the Charterists hold their endless and endlessly obfuscating meetings and draft their charters: Toxic grape production (the wine industry uses many more chemicals and in much greater quantities than the timber industry, traditional foe of the Charterist gang) will continue unabated, pot will remain semi-legal and much of it will be grown with water thefts and poisons, local investment will diminish, pension debt will rise, and the "status quo" that we all agree is unhealthy will only get worse.

NO ON W.

PS. Have you noticed that not once have any of these people mentioned the Sheriff's mental health initiative, the first genuinely progressive idea to come outtahere in years? Instead of getting on board a decent initiative, they suggest wasting time on more meetings. They don't seem to even know about Allman's initiative because their heads are in the clouds. Or, more likely, darker places.

* * *

FOR REFERENCE: Here’s the press release the Charterists put out yesterday:

Let the Charter Commission meet with the Mendocino Public, listen to their goals for their lives in Mendocino County, and put the proposed Charter before the voters, all at no expense to the County. All we have to do is vote for 15 Charter Commissioners on June 7.

Why not allow the people express their opinions of how we can change Mendocino County for the better? Are those who oppose W also opposed to the First Amendment? Are they opposed to Free Speech?

We listen to our President give the State of the Union message, and the Governor the State of the State, but what do we hear from our County Supervisors?

Maybe it’s time WE THE PEOPLE started speaking up for OUR future!

A Charter, like a Constitution, describes a future. Rather than continuing of the status quo of a General Law county, a Charter sets the direction for future goals and policies for the Board of Supervisors and other elected officials.

The Charter Commission, with public participation, can propose future objectives of governance, public finance, environmental sustainability, social service levels, housing and economic development customized to the needs of Mendocino County.

What WE the PEOPLE want is a government of the people, by the people, for the people". Not a government of the establishment, by the corporations, and for the powerful. Our elected supervisors will implement the government (Charter) that WE vote for.

WHY would anyone be opposed to Measure W at this time? Only those who are pleased with the status quo and currently have the power to influence policy outcome would be opposed to a county constitution that works for everyone.

IF you support the First Amendment you support free speech. Let it happen here.

Vote YES on W.

(By Norman de Vall and Els Cooperrider)

* * *

JIM UPDEGRAFF NOTES: Why Not Vote Yes on W? Why not vote No on W — it is basically a proposal by a group of dreamers that some how they can have A “County Public Bank.” That’s a pipe dream — you can not charter such a bank under the California Financial Code. Also do they think they really can get FDIC insurance for this pipe dream (required by the CFC for ALL banks). A waste of the taxpayers’ money.

CRAB WARNING LIFTED: Locally caught Dungeness is declared safe

by Nanette Asimov

It’s safe again to eat Dungeness crab caught off the Bay Area coast, state officials said Thursday in lifting a three-month health warning about the tasty crustaceans.

The decision by the California Department of Public Health allows only recreational crab fishing to resume as yet. It will be at least a week before commercial crab boats can head out to sea — and then only if the state Department of Fish and Wildlife approves the plan.

The health advisory that has delayed the start of the crab season since November was lifted for Dungeness crabs caught south of Point Reyes. But even those crabs may not be entirely pristine.

Diners should remove the guts before cooking the crabs, the health agency said. And the crabs should be boiled or steamed — and their cooking water discarded — instead of fried or broiled.

The fishing ban continues for rock crabs, which remain unsafe to eat.

But health officials said that domoic acid, the potentially deadly neurotoxin that had been present in Dungeness crabs, has “declined to low or undetectable levels” in catches from areas including San Francisco, Half Moon Bay and Monterey.

“The thing is, the crabs are very plump because they’ve remained in the water,” he said. “So we’ll get the best crabs we’ve had in years.”

Conversations between state officials and crabbers will begin next week in preparation for the possible lifting of the commercial crab fishing ban, said Jordan Traverso, spokeswoman for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Commercial crabbers had asked the state to give them at least a week’s warning so they could prepare, she said. And some crabbers oppose opening the season at all.

“Some fish for other things as well, and have chalked this (crab) season up to a loss,” Traverso said. “But others want the season to open as soon as possible. Our job is to get them to come to some agreement.”

On Tuesday, Gov. Jerry Brown asked the Obama administration to declare the state’s crab fishery a federal disaster, which could free up federal aid for those who make their living at sea. Brown said the industry suffered a $49 million loss because of the toxic algae bloom that tainted the crab.

If California’s bid for disaster relief is approved, crabbers would qualify for aid even if the commercial season opens, Traverso said.

Dave Bitts is a fisherman who has no desire to start crab fishing at this late date, and is already preparing for the May salmon season.

“For me personally, we are past the time when I normally want to have all my gear on the dock and am done crab fishing,” said Bitts, president of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations. “But there will be plenty of guys who still want to go crab fishing — so you should be able to find crab (at the grocer). It may not be as widespread — and it may be more expensive than you’d like.”

Mason and Lis McKinley of Oakland love crab so much that they’ve hosted a party in its honor for more than 15 years. A tradition is for guests to tell each other, “I love the crab party,” said Mason McKinley, a teacher.

They didn’t let the lack of crab stop the party this year, McKinley said. The guests just told each other, “I love the un-crab party.”

So if there’s anyone who should be happy about Thursday’s news, it should be crab lovers like the McKinleys.

Not so.

“I don’t know that I’d trust the crab this year,” McKinley said, considering the crab guts warning. “It reminds me of eating blowfish. I’ve heard if you cook blowfish wrong it could kill you. I just don’t want to take the risk.”

(Courtesy, the San Francisco Chronicle)

COULDN'T HELP BUT NOTICE last week that the electronic billboards on 101 had their drought warnings on. Locally, the rapid early drop in the Navarro and the apparent failure of the rain that we did get this year to soak into our aquifers, means we indeed remain in Major Parched Status. Quite a few of us Boonville people draw our drinking water from the conveniently tapped spring a few miles up Mountain View Road. That spring ordinarily runs strong out of the side of the hill, but the last few years, as this year, it's running low and slow, as if the rains of the recent past hadn't happened.

LOTS OF CALIFORNIANS agree that we remain deep in Drought. According to a recent poll by the Field Research Corporation found that 76% of their respondents called the water shortage serious last year while this year 62% say we've got to husband our water although the Sierra snowpack, source of much state water, is at 66% of normal right now. Last year at this time it was at 5%.

THE DOG NAMED BEAST (named like bald guys are called “curly”) is still waiting at the animal shelter for someone to adopt him, “neutered and ready to roll in Boonville,” according to one shelter worker.

UP IN SMOKE

Editor,

Once again, it came and went, the annual 4/20 feast of stoner self-indulgence on Hippie Hill. Disorderly crowds, snarled traffic, trash and cloud upon cloud of secondhand dope smoke. Has it dawned on anybody that what goes on during this spectacle would, by Bay Area standards, be decried as worse than antisocial if it involved anything other than the current recreational intoxicant of choice?

Traffic is such a nightmare that cars are loathed on San Francisco streets as if they were the work of Satan. Residential fireplaces are, in the hands of the Air Resources Board, rapidly facing extinction. Local governments are tying themselves in knots to come up with ever more intrusive ways to restrict even the most private tobacco use.

Yet there seem to be very few in our timid political class willing to murmur more than the faintest peep of censure about the 4/20 celebration. The truth is pretty hard to escape. A large percentage of 4/20 participants weren't smoking marijuana for medical purposes. They were publicly indulging in a huge outdoor recreational smoke-out in a place where any other form of smoking is prohibited and punishable. Yes, the public smoking of marijuana is becoming more common and more widely accepted every day. And, like many people, I don't particularly care one way or another what another adult wants to drag into his or her lungs, so long as I'm not on the hook to pay for the consequences. But it's time to stop the stupid sophistry that lionizes pot and demonizes tobacco.

Joe DiPietro, Oakland

AS WE LIKE to point out, Mendocino County makes a lot of money from dope by growing and exporting it while our cops make a lot of money "interdicting" those exports and busting growers. Mendo is number two out of 58 California counties in getting money via the state's asset forfeiture laws. LA is number one. During 2014, statewide asset forfeiture figures from the California Attorney General's Office tell us that Mendocino County raked in about $3.5 million from drug related criminal activities, about 9% of all California seizures. Los Angeles County was ahead of Mendocino County with nearly $4.7 million in seizures. Sonoma County took in more than $2 mil, Humboldt County $1.25 mil and Lake County got nearly $320,000.

CATCH OF THE DAY, April 23, 2016.

AUDREY BRANDON, Redwood Valley. Concealed weapon by vehicle driver.

BRIAN BRAZIL, Ukiah. DUI-drugs & alcohol.

ZEBULON COUTHREN, Ukiah. Domestic assault, false imprisonment, probation revocation.

TRAVIS CURRAN, Valencia/Calpella. Proceeds of drugs transactions.

SACRAMENTO HERNANDEZ, Ukiah. Vandalism.

JOHN HOAGLEN, Covelo. Parole violation.

CODY JOHNSON, Fort Bragg. DUI, failure to pay.

DONALD MACK, Fort Bragg. Failure to appear.

MARIA MARFIL, Ukiah. Mandatory supervision ordered.

CORY TOMPKINS, Ukiah. Failure to appear.

RUSTI VASSAR, Willits. Failure to appear, court order violation.

DON WILTSE, Laytonville. Failure to register, suspended license.

SENATOR MIKE MCGUIRE’S BILL to require telecommunications companies to report outages of rural 911 service has been approved by its first Senate committee. The bipartisan vote was unanimous for the 911 Emergency Reliability and Public Safety Act to develop a statewide outage reporting threshold for rural California. The Lake County Record Bee reports McGuire saying telecom companies don’t let emergency officials know if there’s a local 911 system not operating. He says emergency responders have to be in the loop to keep residents safe. The 911 network along the North Coast has gone down at least five times in the last 2 years.

ON LINE COMMENTS OF THE DAY

Why does anyone want to live in the USA?

(One) I was about to leave when I saw it announced today that McDonald’s is bringing back Unlimited Fries (also known as All-You-Can-Eat Fries), so, I will be staying at least until that charitable deal ends, if it ever ends. I love fries and I have room to put on another forty or fifty pounds, so we’ve decided to defer our emigration plans for now.

(Two) And if you’re a senior citizen you can get senior coffee free at Wendy’s, or at least the one in Naperville, Illinois. Their salads are nice as well; they come with croutons seasoned with sea salt.
 And just the other day I did a coupon scratch-off and scored a free 14-inch 2-topping pizza from John and Eddie’s. Who said opportunity is dead in the US of A?

THIRD RAILS

It used to be taken for granted that Social Security was “the third rail” of American politics. This was before Reaganites, and then Clintonites, set out to privatize some or all of it.

Hillary Clinton now finds it expedient to present herself as a defender of Social Security, distancing herself from her husband’s administration and from “the nineties.”

This is not necessarily dishonest; politicians’ views do “evolve,” as Hillary’s supporters point out. The liberals might note, however, that it was her purported role in her husband’s administration that supposedly qualified her to become New York’s Senator. Why would they bother, though, if they can have it both ways?

Hillary’s supporters can use or forget about the past as they please. But the plain fact remains: were it not for Bill’s troubles over his dalliance with Monica Lewinsky, the Clintons might have gotten away with giving some or all of Social Security away to their Wall Street paymasters.

If only for that reason, it would be fair to say that “that woman,” the one Bill Clinton “did not have sex with, never,” did more good for her country than Hillary or any of the other women in that old horndog’s life.

After Hillary becomes President, as now seems inevitable, her fans will soon find themselves on board with that assessment. In short order, they will experience a level of disillusionment unseen since the days of LBJ.

Indeed, with Hillary in the White House, the degree of buyer’s remorse could reach unprecedented heights. After all, Johnson was ten times the politician, and a hundred times the statesman, that she is.

Hillary’s sole redeeming feature is her gender. Otherwise, she is unadulterated bad news. Everything she works on — from Hillarycare to Honduras, Libya, Syria, Ukraine and so on — goes to hell. Monica, on the other hand, made the world better just by being there and by appealing to Bill’s prurient desires. Much of the credit for the fact that Social Security has remained secure until now goes to her.

Social Security is safe, for now, for a different reason: with so many people feeling the Bern, the Clintons wouldn’t dare mess with it. But it is no longer the third rail of American politics. Most Republicans and more than a few Democrats would gladly privatize some or all of it, if they could.

Social Security was said to be the third rail, but it was never the only one. There is, or was, another one that was too deeply entrenched even to warrant notice. It boiled down to this: that anyone running for high elective office in the United States must never question the conviction that, right or wrong, Israel is always right.

This implies that no matter how just their cause or how severely the Israelis keep them down, that Palestinians are always wrong — not in principle but insofar as their interests and the interests of the state of Israel, as determined by the Israeli government, conflict.

In the Sanders-Clinton debate last week in Brooklyn, Bernie Sanders stepped onto that third rail and survived. He showed that it could be done.

— Andrew Levine

OLIVER STONE ON WHY HILLARY SHOULD BE STOPPED

http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/oliver-stone-makes-impassioned-plea-sanders-hillary-clinton-has-effectively-closed

AT&T IS OUT TO SCREW US

AT&T workers picket in Santa Rosa, worry bill would hamper rural phone service

by Julie Johnson

More than two dozen AT&T workers held a picket line Friday in downtown Santa Rosa to protest proposed legislation in California that could spell the end of landline telephone service in the state and threaten to dramatically decrease the company’s workforce.

Assembly Bill 2395 would change state regulations so that telecommunications companies would be able to start cutting landline telephone service for customers in 2020 and switching customers to more modern, Internet-based phone services. AT&T supports the bill.

Opponents argue the potential loss of traditional telephone service could affect the North Coast’s rural residents for whom Internet and cellphone service is often limited, expensive and unreliable.

“If the Internet goes down, there goes your phone service for 911 calls,” said Rosa Landeros, 57, of Sebastopol.

Landeros, who has been a service representative with AT&T for 19 years, said consumer-protection rules for telephone service don’t apply to Internet-based phone lines. She and other members voiced concerns that AT&T, which just acquired DirecTV, is attempting to sidestep rules that protect consumers from escalating costs.

She joined coworkers from Sonoma and Lake counties who began gathering at 5 p.m. outside AT&T’s building on Third Street to show solidarity during contract negotiations and because they felt the bill threatens jobs.

The group waved signs at rush-hour motorists with slogans like “Fighting for Fairness @AT&T” and “America Needs Jobs” and “Unions ... Made in the USA.”

Proposed in February by Assemblyman Evan Low, D-Cupertino, the bill on Thursday was referred back to the appropriations committee.

Low and his staff couldn’t be reached Friday for comment about the legislation.

According to a press statement, Low intended for the proposed bill to provide a roadmap for the transition from the “outdated” circuit-switch telephone network to an Internet protocol-based communication services system.

The bill contains language that would prohibit a telephone company from withdrawing “legacy” telephone services unless certifying with the California Public Utilities Commission that “an alternative voice service is available for the affected customers in the affected area.”

Low has said that many Californians have already transitioned away from landline telephones.

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey in 2014 found about 44 percent of households had no landline telephone.

But opponents such as The Utility Reform Network, a San Francisco-based consumer watchdog group that promotes access to utilities including phone service, said that the loss of landlines would force customers to subscribe to potentially expensive and unreliable alternatives.

Landline telephones are powered through copper wires and are separate from the electric grid, which means the phone may still work if the power goes out.

That can be critical during emergencies, said Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman.

Allman said that he hadn’t heard about the proposed legislation but would oppose any effort to reduce people’s access to landline telephones because of their vital role in emergency response. Vast pockets of Mendocino County have spotty or no cell service or Internet access.

“I will vigorously oppose this for the purpose of public safety; it’s that simple,” Allman said. “Let’s be honest, if the government mandate goes away for large corporations to maintain landlines, then it’s just a matter of time that we won’t have landlines.”

Shelly Konopa, a service representative for AT&T and vice president of the local unit, said job security is alongside the rising costs of health care as top concerns for members.

“If you lose dial tone, you’re going to lose 90 percent of your workforce,” Wayne Metzinger, 60, of Lakeport said.

Metzinger has worked as a technician for AT&T for 37 years.

“You can’t get Internet in Duncans Mills,” said fellow picketer Kim Hall, 57, who lives in the lower Russian River town.

An employee of AT&T for 37 years, Hall has a Verizon cellphone because he can’t get AT&T service where he lives.

Santa Rosa City Councilwoman Erin Carlstrom stopped by the picket line with her son to talk with workers. Carlstrom said she wanted to show her support, which she did during the last round of negotiations as well.

“It’s not an issue we tackle at the city level, but it affects our residents,” Carlstrom said of the proposed bill.

(Courtesy, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat)

COMMENT: I worked for them for 40+years. The quality of a so-so landline is much better than any cell connection. A good landline is almost perfect. What we have is a generation of people willing to accept crappy cell service, spotty coverage and poor customer service for the novelty of a cell phone. A decade ago the government was looking into health issues associated with having a phone hanging on your head for hours. That is just a forgotten issue now. There is simply too much money at stake. We are in the middle of a huge medical experiment and your kids are the guinea pigs. The copper landline system is incredibly expensive to maintain and the customer base is constantly shrinking. Electricity always is looking for a ground path and millions of trees, chewing squirrels, rain and wind are trying to bust the cables open to let water in. Around here, AT&T has spent a lot to make fiber optic feeder a reality, but when you branch back to copper and telephone sets, it is a losing proposition.

EEL RIVER RECOVERY PROJECT Releases Report and Announces Activities

The grassroots Eel River Recovery Project is announcing the release of its final report on a one-year State Water Resources Control Board grant and also upcoming activities in which the public may wish to participate. ERRP has been operating since 2011 and is a solutions-based group that is actively engaged with the community Eel River Basin-wide.

The Eel River Monitoring and Water Quality Awareness Pilot Project Final Report was released on April 18. The monitoring section includes information on water temperature, toxic blue green algae or cyanobacteria, and where stream reaches or tributaries of the Eel River went dry in the summer and fall of 2015. ERRP worked closely with the University of California Berkeley (UCB) and with small water districts on the South Fork Eel on cyanotoxin monitoring. Extensive monitoring in the Middle Fork and North Fork Eel watersheds was carried out in cooperation with the Round Valley Indian Tribes Environmental Protection Agency. Dozens of volunteers and other cooperators participated in data collection at over 100 sites throughout the Eel River Basin in 2015. ERRP also visited 70 cannabis farms to free consultations on best management practices, held numerous public meetings and even made videos to try and spur water conservation implementation and adoption of pollution prevention measures. See www.EelRiverRecovery.org to download report.

On Saturday, April 30, ERRP will host a Project Wild workshop for educators and people who want to support Mendocino County teachers and students. Project WILD is one of the most widely-used conservation and environmental education programs among educators of students in kindergarten through high school (www. projectwild.org). The workshop will be held at the Library Commons in Covelo. From 9 am – 12:00, we will present “Growing Up Wild”, the curriculum for children aged 3-7. From 1:00 – 5:00, we will present the “Aquatic Wild” curriculum, designed for grades K-12. People may to elect to attend just one, or both of these sessions. There is no charge for the workshop and the curriculum manuals are free. The workshop is being sponsored by a grant from the Mendocino County Fish and Game Commission. For more information or to enroll, call ERRP Education Coordinator Diane Higgins at 707-839-4987. Every student at Round Valley Elementary School visited Mill Creek to learn about aquatic life and stream processes on March 18 as part of this project. The ultimate goal is to get students involved in science and spark interest in natural resource career paths.

Yellow-legged frog expert and UCB researcher Dr. Sarah Kupferberg will also be in Covelo on April 30 and anyone interested is invited to join here near the Eel River Guard Station to survey the upper Middle Fork Eel and converging Black Butte River to learn how to count yellow-legged frog egg masses. On Sunday May 1 at 10 AM, southern Humboldt residents can join Sarah at Benbow State Park for a similar activity. Anyone wishing to participate should wear waders or good shoes for and polarized sunglasses for best viewing capability. ERRP wants to expand yellow-legged frog counts to the whole Eel River watershed. People can get trained, go count frogs closer to home and relay data to ERRP. People interested can call (707) 223-7200 or check the ERRP Facebook page for more details.

On May 5, you can join the ERRP Wilderness Committee as we attend the opening of a new trail in the Sinkyone Wilderness in the morning, and participate in an afternoon meeting in Leggett to devise an Eel River Wilderness Plan. Those interested should call Jeff Hedin at (707) 247-3030 for details or see the ERRP Facebook page.

Also coming up in early July is the first ERRP Sacramento pikeminnow dive that will census large fish that may be unduly and negatively impacting salmon and steelhead because of predation. The survey will extend from Rattlesnake Creek downstream to Standish-Hickey State Park. Warmwater fish specialist Dr. Brett Harvey of the US Forest Service Redwood Sciences Lab will teach divers fish identification and help with study design. This activity is very strenuous and is in a very remote area. People that are very fit and have aquatic experience are encouraged to call ERRP Outdoor Coordinator Erick Stockwell at 707 845-0400. ERRP wishes to thank the Salmon Restoration Association for grant funding that makes this study possible.

ERRP group has operated under the sponsorship of the Trees Foundation but now has been awarded its own 501c3 status. Look for State of the Eel River meetings at location throughout the watershed starting in mid-June. Learn more at our website or stay in even closer touch by liking our Facebook page.

"PURPLE RAIN"

I never meant to cause you any sorrow

I never meant to cause you any pain

I only wanted one time to see you laughing

I only want to see you laughing in the purple rain

 

Purple rain Purple rain

Purple rain Purple rain

Purple rain Purple rain

 

I only want to see you bathing in the purple rain

 

I never wanted to be your weekend lover

I only wanted to be some kind of friend

Baby I could never steal you from another

It's such a shame our friendship had to end

 

Purple rain Purple rain

Purple rain Purple rain

Purple rain Purple rain

 

I only want to see you underneath the purple rain

 

Honey I know, I know, I know times are changing

It's time we all reach out for something new

That means you too

You say you want a leader

But you can't seem to make up your mind

I think you better close it

And let me guide you to the purple rain

 

Purple rain Purple rain

Purple rain Purple rain

 

If you know what I'm singing about up here

C'mon raise your hand

 

Purple rain Purple rain

 

I only want to see you, only want to see you

In the purple rain

— Prince

DEMOCRATIZING KZYX

Reasons for Challenging Programmer-Director Policy

I have been asked to explain what I hope to accomplish by asserting the right of the Members to elect all of the Directors.

I am a big fan of membership nonprofits. They are an excellent vehicle for the collective efforts of a group of people who are focused on a common mission. The choosing of the Directors by the Members is an act of collective consciousness, and the Directors are charged with making decisions on behalf of the Members.

I am assuming that the Programmers are well-informed, noble, and have the best interests of the nonprofit at heart. Nevertheless, they do not represent the collective knowledge, wisdom, and interests of the Members. If anything, there is an ongoing tendency, subconscious at least, to support the continuation of the status quo, as the people and thinking that go into choosing a Programmer-Director are already present at the station. Some have even suggested that, since the Program Director selects the Programmers, there is an internal loop of support that protects the General Manager and Program Director.

The power of selecting one out of nine directors and having a guaranteed presence on the board should not be underestimated. Much of our nation's politics right now is focused on who will choose the ninth vote on the Supreme Court. Even in larger bodies such as Congress, the control of 11% of the vote (one out of nine) would swing almost any contested decision. So taking away from the Members the power to choose one of their nine directors is significant.

In my life I have watched the arc of history bend toward justice. But I am very troubled by the rising incidents of voter suppression that we have witnessed this year. ID's that are hard to get, tougher registration rules, reduced polling places, reduced early voting, voting rolls purged - these are just some of the problems. And each one of them means that the collective knowledge, wisdom, and concerns of those being affected by important decisions are less likely to be heard, to be integrated into the decision-making process.

I have reached the point where I am compelled to do what I can to reverse that trend. In politics, as with the environment, we must think globally and act locally. The station and the nonprofit will benefit greatly by restoring Member selection of all directors. Conversely, the Programmers will not suffer. They have for years been unfairly prohibited from running for any of the five District seats on the board, and that has kept good and competent people from running the past few elections. I don't have a problem with individual Programmers being on the board. But that decision should be made by the Members.

Nor should people be concerned that Programmers will be shut out of programming decisions. They are assured of input under the current Programming Policy and the Program Advisory Committee (PAC). The current Board and Management should act immediately to fully implement that policy.

So what I hope to accomplish is to restore legitimacy to the Board of Directors and the governance of MCPB/KZYXZ. I hope to make the Board a true expression of the will of the Members. Our bylaws state that the station is Member controlled. We have been told that means that the Members choose the Directors. As noted above, it is not enough to choose eight out of nine. The Board must acknowledge the right of the Members to choose all of the Directors, and make the necessary changes to our Bylaws and Election Policy.

Dennis O’Brien, Ukiah

PEOPLE COMPLAIN ABOUT BUSH. In some ways it's good that Bush is a miserable failure and a disgusting human being and an appalling president. Do we want someone to do it slightly better, like John Kerry? Somebody who is pursuing the same policies but looks a little more civilized when he goes in front of the United Nations? It's incredible. Look, what we had last night, we had the prime minister of Iran, Mr. Ahmedinejad, and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela just blasting off. I think Chavez is a bit nuttier than I would like — calling Bush the devil and all that. I like the Devil so I thought that was a bit over the top. But the UN absolutely exploded — the General assembly — it exploded with enthusiasm. That is a good thing.

If we were the barbarians on the frontiers of the Roman Empire in the third century and we were waiting to invade, we would not have said, 'Oh, they picked Theodosius, he is appalling, he will be a very bad Roman Emperor. That's terrible.' No, we'd say. 'They picked another imbecile! Another idiot! That's wonderful! We can invade even faster!' In other words, if the prime force for evil in the world is the American Empire, which it is right now, you don't wish for a slightly better guy at the tiller saying, 'I will steer the American Empire to greater success.' You want a pilot who is half drunk who steers the thing onto the rocks all the time. The best thing is for the American Empire to start to crumble. Then you would even up the balance in the world. What about the effect on the American people? Well, they are not doing very well right now, are they? I don't think when you go across America ordinary people are telling you that life looks like it did in the 1950s. There was a brief moment in the 1950s when the American Empire was rising and delivering — not to everybody by any manner or means, of course. That's why the civil rights movement occurred, because a lot of people didn't have anything. But for the white working class at a certain level the working man could have his little home in someplace like Flint, Michigan; there was a properly functioning place, it had nice schools, a guy who worked on the assembly line probably had a place in the country, wife was at home, two cars in the driveway. But what now? You know the story, the same as everybody else. The wife is slaving away at some miserable $10 an hour job. The guy has a couple of jobs and he's exhausted. If he works for Ford or General Motors he could get laid off at any moment and never get another decent job again. It's terrible! Is the American Empire really delivering? The Roman Empire finally fell because the people in it — what's called the marginal rate of return — they said there is nothing much in this for us. We are taxed all the time. It's interesting now that Bush — they have given tax collection over to a private company. They have privatized tax collection because the Empire needs more and more money. It now costs I don't know how many hundreds of millions to build an F-22. The logic of the Pentagon budget — which has been the underpinning of the economy since 1939, maybe somewhat less now — is that people want profit. There's not much profit in making a boot, or a sock, or a pair of trousers or a flak jacket or a coat or a helmet. It's a low mark up. But there's lots of money in making an F-22. You can mark it up by trillions and trillions of dollars. The logic of it is that the American defense budget could produce one incredibly expensive airplane. And the troops will all be naked!

Alexander Cockburn, 2006

JUNE 1975

AZIZ, LIGHT! POFF! THANK YOU.

The recording of last night's (2016-04-22) 107.7fm KNYO (and 105.1 KMEC) Memo of the Air: Good Night Radio show is available to download and listen to via

http://MemoOfTheAir.wordpress.com

Also at http://MemoOfTheAir.wordpress.com you'll find a vast army of links to not necessarily radio-useful but worthwhile things to see and do and learn about, such as:

When Yuba plays the rhumba on the tuba. It's an old Max Fleischer cartoon that doesn't have anything to do with the then-popular song of the same name, but is nonetheless delightful and employs the Mills Brothers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGuTqEr3984

The latest installment of Bendito Machine.

https://vimeo.com/162708494

Fun toys of the so-called Cold War. http://tinyurl.com/hyas52u

And enter then click and slide to travel in time. You can also move the map, and resize it. Millions of tons of meat fought and suffered and grunted and sweated and murdered and pillaged and fled and hid, and so on, to move those entirely arbitrary lines this way and that, all for the benefit of a much smaller amount of much fatter meat who, throughout, sat in luxurious comfort very far away from all the trouble it caused.

http://chronas.org/history

Marco McClean
memo@mcn.org
http://MemoOfTheAir.wordpress.com