Mendocino County Today: Friday, Apr 29, 2016

• Measure U
• Neighboring Ag
• PD Confusion
• Panther Baseball
• Aqua Mom
• Police Reports
• Yesterday's Catch
• Drug Test
• Prince Watchtower
• Biomass Event
• Art Walk
• Free Shingles
• Cruz/Fiorina
• Sako Farewell
• Cannabis Fair
• Congressman Coffee
• Candlestick Memory
• Redwood Chorus
• Salmon Regs
• Addiction Comedy
• Radical Response

THE TRUTH ABOUT MEASURE U

Editor,

The people against Measure U are over-reacting to this minor zoning change and they are misleading people about what Measure U will do. The no on U arguments are unfounded, uneducated, unfair and unjust!

Don’t be fooled by the Politicians and their well-meaning but misled supporters.

Many of these people do not live in Fort Bragg and have no business trying to influence zoning ordinances meant to protect our community.

Measure U supports quality social services for our most needy and vulnerable. We want the best for our clients and our community.

Measure U supports all social services in the district before January of 2015, they are grandfathered in.

Yes on Measure U protects and keeps Art Explorers, Project Sanctuary and Parents and Friends in the district. If they must move they have 95% of the community to move to, including the other side of the streets that border the four blocks of the Central Business District.

Yes on Measure U also protects and preserves our small business district for business and tourism, safety and cleanliness. Yes on U preserves the pedestrian friendly character of the district.

Yes on Measure U demands responsible use of tax dollars and the highest quality of services for our most needy and vulnerable.

For over 2 million tax dollars homeless clients should be getting more than 10 beds! This is what MCHC with the help of Fort Bragg City Government has spent in the past couple of years, about $200,000 was for a garden (I’d love to see that financial report).

The CBD is a very small neighborhood -- 4 blocks -- in the Commercial District -- zoned for commerce.

Measure U sets reasonable limits on land use in this neighborhood that benefit everyone not just a select, special few.

Measure U insists on compliance with the city’s Municipal Code, General Plan and Economic Development Plan. City government needs to follow these rules and stop bending them for special interest groups.

Measure U makes the point that there are more and better locations in Fort Bragg for social services outside of the Central Business District’s few blocks.

Service organizations that moved into the district after January 1, 2015 knew that Measure U was going on the ballot in 2016, namely the project in the Old Coast Hotel and they chose to gamble. Case law supports retroactive enforcement when this law passes.

Supporters of Measure U support all social services organizations and want the best services our clients.

Measure U supports professional, appropriately located services for our vulnerable neighbors.

Measure U does not hurt or exclude anyone from the community, it is a new zoning rule that promotes the welfare of the whole community not just one part of the population. The civil rights issues raised are a misinterpretation of the laws they are citing according to what I read.

Measure U makes a positive change for everyone including small business, tourists, property owners, social service organizations, children, elders, and the disabled; everyone who lives in Fort Bragg and visits here benefits from this change.

U Can Make a Difference in Fort Bragg and Yes is the Smart Choice for U!

And by the way Measure U opponents:

We were told that it is unlawful to leave flyers on doors in the City of Fort Bragg by residents who have run campaigns in the past. The people from Little River and Mendocino knocking on doors in Fort Bragg probably don’t know that. It is also unlawful to remove Yes on Measure U signs from people’s yards. The signs belong to the campaign and removal of them constitutes trespassing and theft. Aggressive solicitation is also unlawful, for example: multiple phone calls to a one business person insisting they remove a sign meets the criteria for aggressive solicitation and is reportable to the police.

Please return any signs you walked away with on Saturday, April 16, 2016 by messaging Yes on Measure U Fort Bragg CA at facebook.com.; we’d be happy to come and pick them up, people want them.

Let’s educate ourselves about the rules of the campaign and “play fair.” We are all neighbors and want to debate this issue with civility and fairness for all.

Anne Marie Cesario, MA, CHT, CMT, LPF

Fort Bragg

ACCORDING TO GLEN McGOURTY, Mendocino County's UC-Davis agriculture extension advisor, an alleged expert in grape growing, it's bad planning to put grapes next to non-grapes because non-grape people have a bad habit of not liking some aspects of grape growing (labor exploitation, pesticides, water depletion, ear-drum breaking wind machines, arrogance, tasting room traffic, etc.). And, according to McGourty, Anderson Valley is the County’s biggest hotbed of non-grape people who "do not agree with" grape growing.

MCGOURTY NOTED that there's nothing the complainers can do about the grape growing since local elected officials, laws and planning documents give them carte blanche, but, McGourty insists, it's best to keep the grapes off by themselves (or, more likely, the non-grape people off by themselves) where nobody can complain about them because such complaining might create "conflicts" with neighbors.

AT A RECENT Planning Commission hearing in Ukiah concerning a proposed breakup of a 269-acre vineyard parcel in the Hopland area owned by a Geyserville grape outfit into four separate smaller parcels to allow for a home and an "event center," McGourty opposed the otherwise reasonable vineyard owner's proposal.

"MY BIGGEST CONCERN is about fragmentation of agricultural land,” declared McGourty. “There are conflicts when we have people who are not involved in agriculture who are surrounded by agriculture.”

McGOURTY and his grape growing pals routinely refer to their production of a high end intoxicant as “agriculture,” to make it sound more benign than it is.

“I THINK you have seen multiple examples of this, particularly in Anderson Valley where we have people who don't necessarily understand or really care about agriculture [i.e., grapes] around them. So if you allow a 28 acre nonconforming parcel that's really a different use compared to what's surrounding them, you set a precedent that other people are going to come to you and say, you have done it for this applicant, why not for me? I could even see Patty Fetzer wanting to do something like that. All of her extensive improvements on the east side of Old River Road — if she wanted to sell her vineyard it would be much easier if that was a separate parcel."

Nobody objects to legitimate “agriculture” such as food crops or sheep or cattle. The only “conflict” is with grapes — NOT agriculture (which the County defines as “food or fiber).

LATER IN THE HEARING, McGourty added, "Right now, Hopland is the center of our intensive vineyard industry. We have approximately 6,000 acres of vineyards in the Hopland area. It's the largest contiguous area of intensive agricultural use in Mendocino County. To start fragmenting it into other purposes for other uses is something that greatly concerns me. It may not concern the property owners at the moment, but I see conflicts that occur when we have people who are not involved in agriculture to own property next to agriculture uses when things start to impact and even though we have a right to farm ordinance in Mendocino County, that doesn't preclude people from being upset if they don't agree with what's going on."

THE PLANNING COMMISSION DENIED THE PROPOSAL 5-1, with the grape people on the Planning Commission, lead by Hopland grape grower Greg Nelson voting to not break up the parcel along with Colfax’s long-time Anderson Valley planning commission appointee Steve Hall, voting to deny the application, thus keeping the 269 acre vineyard intact and free of possible “conflict.”

AND IF YOU THINK grapes generate “conflict,” wait until the next high-end intoxicant pot is fully legalized. Then we’ll have another “ag” operation which will present its own new set of “conflict.” And, if present thinking about pot legalization is any indication, pot-ag will be going on in more non-ag-zoned areas than the grape people ever dreamed of.

PRESS DEMOCRAT still doesn't know the diff between the Alexander Valley and the Anderson Valley. Unbelievable! (Even for them.) Nice try, but confusing Alexander Valley for Anderson Valley is pretty pitiful.

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/lifestyle/5534070-181/berger-pinot-noir-takes-center

AV PANTHERS 2016 BASEBALL

Top Row: (Sr) Jared Johnston, Tony Pardini, Coach Ryan Jones, JT Carlin, (Sr)
 Izac Parra

Mid Row: 
(Sr) Cesar Soto, Josue Angulo, Juan Reynoso, Paul Schock, (Sr) Jonas
 Lane

Bottom Row: 
Randall Isgrigg, Gerardo Torrales, Christian Ramirez, Juan Garcia,
 Braulio Echeverria

(Photo Courtesy Senior Iriana Zavala

 )

The Panthers are 6-0 in league, 11-0 Overall (after yesterday's game, Panthers winning streak stands as listed).

MENDO HOOPS COACH JIM YOUNG'S MOM SETS MASTERS RECORD

Friends/Family:

In my life I have played in and witnessed many athletics events, competitions, games etc. I was happy and honored to witness an athletic event last weekend which may have been the most outstanding of my life.

The venue was the Sarasota YMCA Swimming complex located in Sarasota, Florida, home of the Sarasota YMCA Sharks Swim Club. The event was the 2016 YMCA Masters National Swimming Championships

Swimmers arrived on Thursday for 4 days of competition.

For the YMCA Masters swimming newbies: YMCA Masters swimming is a national program which is located in most areas of the USA. Swimmers compete in various local leagues and at the end of the year the best attend this event. Swimmers compete against swimmers of their age. 25-29’s, 30-34’s, 35-39’s 40-44’s and continuing until there is no one left to swim.

One of these competitors was my mother, Judy Young. She competed in the 90-94 yard old women’s age group. She was the oldest woman in the event.

Long story short, Judy Young competed in 8 events over the 4 days. The 50 yard Freestyle, 100 Freestyle, 200 Freestyle, 500 Freestyle, 1000 Freestyle, 50 yard backstroke, 100 yard backstroke, and 200 yard backstroke. She finished with 8 gold medals in these events.

Judy Young also set National YMCA Masters records in the 90-94 age group in the 200 Free, 500 Free and 100 yard backstroke.

Congratulations, Mom

Jim Young, Mendocino

IRON RANGER ROBBER REVEALED

On April 27, 2016 at about 10:30 AM Deputies from the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office assisted by investigators from the Ukiah Police Department and the Mendocino County Probation Department conducted a search at a residence located in the 800 block of Lake Mendocino Drive in Ukiah. The residence was the home of Jerimiah Michael Valador, 32, of Ukiah. Investigators contacted Valador who was found to be under the influence of a controlled substance. A search also revealed approximately 0.6 grams of methamphetamine along with firearms. There had been several thefts from the “Iron Ranger” cash deposit vaults at Lake Mendocino over the past year. Deputies had begun a surveillance program and one of the thefts was captured during surveillance. During this theft subjects had gone to the lake with cutting torches and were driving a distinct vehicle. While searching the residence Deputies noticed Valador’s vehicle parked at the residence as well as cutting torches and other metal working items. During this time Deputies were able to connect Valador to the theft and a search of Valador's residence revealed a missing cash deposit vault. Valador was arrested and booked into the Mendocino County Jail on charges of possession of methamphetamine with a firearm, possession of a firearm while under the influence of a controlled substance, possession of stolen property and commission of a felony while pending a felony case. Valador was to be held in lieu of $50,000 bail.

* * *

AUDIEL MIRANDA ARRESTED FOR BRIDGE SHOOTING

On April 3, 2016 at 9:49 PM the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office was dispatched to a report of gunshots in the area of the Russian River Bridge on Talmage Road in Ukiah. Upon arrival Deputies located an adult female who was located with a gunshot wound to her upper arm. The adult female stated she was laying down in her camp when she heard 15 or more gunshots being fired from the pear orchard above her. The adult female indicated she then realized she had been shot in the upper arm. The adult female tried to walk out of the area but laid back down and yelled for help when someone called for emergency services. The adult female was subsequently flown out of county by air ambulance for medical treatment. The adult female was unable to give a description of any suspect(s) but the investigation into the incident is still under investigation. The Sheriff's Office is urging anyone with information that might assist investigators to call the Tip-Line at 707-234-2100.

UPDATES: Upon further investigations, Sheriff's Detectives developed information that identified Audiel Orosco Miranda, 36, of Ukiah, as the person who shot the 20 year-old female adult in this case. It was determined the shooting occurred during a domestic violence related incident.

On 04-09-2016 Miranda had been arrested by the California Highway Patrol and booked into the Mendocino County Jail pursuant to an arrest warrant for an unrelated case.

On 04-20-2016 a new charged of attempted murder was added to Miranda's booking record in connection with this case, resulting in a $300,000 bail.

CATCH OF THE DAY, April 29, 2016

SHAWN BROWN, Ukiah. DUI.

PETER COLE, Santa Rosa/Ukiah. Contempt of court.

SIDNEY FOLEY, Ukiah. Criminal threats.

JUSTIN MALUGANI, Ukiah. Petty theft.

TIMOTHY OLAUGHLIN, Caspar. Meth possession, protective order violation.

AUSTIN SHEALOR, Ukiah. Protective order violation.

MILLICEN URBINA, Ukiah. Probation revocation.

JERIMIAH VALADOR, Ukiah. Possession of drugs while armed, possession of a firearm while under the influence of a controlled substance, possession of stolen property, felony offenses while on bail.

SUSPICIOUS OCCURRENCE, San Francisco

04/20/2016 8:44 PM, 461 6th Ave

A person walked into Richmond Station wanting to make a report about a failed drug test. The person stated they frequently go to a friend’s house to smoke marijuana. The person told the Officer she went to her doctors for her annual drug test and she failed the test, with the results showing traces of cocaine. The person was adamant she didn’t do cocaine and someone must have “sprinkled cocaine into her marijuana.” The person believes that by filing a report with the police, it “proves to her doctor she was not aware of the origin of the cocaine in her system.”

PRINCE

Can't claim that I was ever a big Prince fan, but I didn't know that he was a religious crackpot who opposed gay marriage, which of course doesn't necessarily say anything about his talent. Raised as a Seventh Day Adventist, he later became a Jehovah's Witness who did the door-to-door thing:

A newspaper in his hometown reported how a married couple had answered their door to find Prince proffering a copy of the Watchtower. Though they were orthodox Jews, and it was Yom Kippur, they were also Prince fans. They welcomed him into the house.

(Rob Anderson, 5th District Diary)

WOODY BIOMASS event at UC Hopland Research and Extension Center

Using wood to make renewable energy

Hopland - Join the Hopland Research and Extension Center on the evening of Thursday, May 19 from 6:30 until 9:00 p.m. to explore opportunities for Mendocino's participation in a Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) a program that designates renewable sources of energy for local electricity consumers. Participants will learn how woody biomass is utilized locally in the production of bioenergy; how woody biomass utilization compares with other renewable resources; and how woody biomass is linked to healthy forests and healthy local economies.

This free event will take place at the Hopland Research and Extension Center located at 4070 University Rd in Hopland and is wheelchair accessible. Anyone with an interest in learning more about where Mendocino's electric power comes from, or who may be interested in exploring local choice for future renewable energy is invited to attend.

Speakers for the event include Greg Brehm, Director of Power Resources for Marin Clean Energy, Angie Lottes, Biomass Program Manager for the Watershed Research and Training Center, and Peter Tittmann, Academic Coordinator for the UC Berkeley Center for Forestry.

Registration is required as space is limited. To register for this event visit http://ow.ly/4naRQY or for more information, please call the Hopland Research and Extension Center office at 707-744-1424 ext 105, or e-mail hbird@ucanr.edu<mailto:hbird@ucanr.edu> .

Hannah Bird, Community Educator
Hopland Research & Extension Center

FIRST FRIDAY ART WALK

Make a Date for May 6th

Join artists and their hosts for an evening of art, music and refreshments as you stroll from one venue to the next; each showcasing local art and artistry. Held in Historic Downtown Ukiah on the first Friday of each month, the First Friday Art Walk is the perfect way to relax your body, mind and soul. This enjoyable evening begins at 5pm and promises to delight your senses; all while enjoying the company of others. For more information contact (707) 462-1400 or 462-6789

FREE SHINGLES/KINDLING

Anyone interested in wood shingles for kindling in the area of Caspar Road 409 please respond by e-mail only at info@redwoodroofers.com and include your address as well as a phone number where you can be reached. Priority will be given to those willing to take a full dump truck load and proximity to the work site. Please have a truck accessible area marked out for us to drop it off.

Best,

Dakota Murray | General Manager
Redwood Roofers| Contractor's License# 957548

TOOK THE MONEY AND RAN

To the Editor:

This will be my last op-ed as a sitting Board member of KZYX. My term ends at the Annual Meeting of the Mendocino County Public Broadcasting Board of Directors on May 2 in Fort Bragg. The meeting was held at Point Noyo (previously The Cliff House), at 1011 S Main Street.

No doubt many hated me for filing complaints to both the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) two years ago over what I perceived were bad management practices at the station. Former station GM and Executive Director, John Coate and his management team of Program Director, Mary Aigner, and Operations Director, Rich Cullbertson, were named in my complaints. It was unfortunate, and it pained me. But as the former Treasurer of the station's Board of Directors, I can unequivocally state that there were real problems of transparency and accountability at the station under Coate. Coate did everything in his power to obfuscate station finances. Disclosure just wasn't his thing. Secrecy was his thing. Obfuscation was his thing.

That obfuscation included the station's so-called "audits", which were not really audits but something more like pre-audit worksheets.

A key issue in any audit work product coming from KZYX's auditors should have ensured that the station was truly operated for public (not private) interests. I've maintained for a long time that the station was a jobs program for John Coate, Mary Aigner, Rich Culbertson, and other long-time staff, to wit, John Coate gave himself a 10 per cent raise at precisely the time he eliminated the station's news department. And he soon gave raises to other staff.

That just was plain wrong -- very wrong. No news department. And the station was also plagued by failing broadcast equipment, frequent dead air, fuzz outs, and scratchy, irritating signals. But everyone got raises? That was wrong.

Another thing. An audit should have also evaluated procedures for accounting for money paid to individuals, but exact salaries were always impossible to determine in the station's audits. Exactly how much did Mary Aigner make? Or Rich Culbertson? Impossible to know.

Audits should have been able to determine whether the station paid any excessive compensation, fees, or benefits.

An audit should have also ensured that the station protected and preserved its assets exclusively for tax-exempt purposes. This should have been a very important aspect of any audit.

Let me be clear: Weak audits risk examinations by the IRS.

Issues in an examination by the IRS may include an organization's tax-exempt status and classification, whether it paid employment taxes and tax on unrelated business income when required, and whether it filed required returns and reports. Procedures for examinations are explained in detail in IRS Publication 892, "Exempt Organization Appeal Procedures for Unagreed Issues".

KZYX is at-risk for such an examination by the IRS of the station's books, because of the inadequate and incomplete audits, and also because the station's Form 990 tax returns were withheld from the public until recently -- both reasons.

We'll get to the station's 990 tax returns in a moment. Please bear with me.

The consequences of such an IRS examination may include the following adverse actions:

1. No change to the organization's status or liability, with an advisory and later IRS follow-up to see if advice has been followed,

2. Imposition of tax (unrelated business income, employment, or excise) and/or penalties,

3. Revocation of the IRS's determination that the organization is tax-exempt,

4. Modification of the IRS's determination of tax-exempt status, and/or

5. Reclassification of status (for § 501(c)(3) organizations and § 4947(a)(1) trusts only).

Coate's obfuscation of KZYX finances also includes the station's Form 990 tax returns, which were withheld by Coate from the public. The Form 990 tax returns should have been immediately posted on KZYX's website. (The 990 tax returns are now posted on the KZYX website as a result of my complaints.)

A search of the IRS database will bear out what I asserted in my complaints to the FCC and CPB. Anyone can search.

KZYX is legally known as Mendocino County Public Broadcasting, and their EIN is 68-0050440. Your search will ask you for this information.

Let's review the basics.

First, what is the IRS Form 990?

The IRS Form 990 is the reporting form that many federally tax-exempt organizations must file with the IRS each year. This form allows the IRS and the general public to evaluate a nonprofit’s operations; it includes information on the nonprofit’s mission, programs, and finances. There is a particular emphasis of crucial non-financial data in the Form 990s. Let me repeat: There is a particular emphasis of crucial non-financial data in the Form 990 tax returns.

The type of Form 990 to be filed by an organization depends on the filing year and the gross receipts of the organization. The different forms include Forms 990, 990-EZ and 990-N.

Second, who files the IRS Form 990? Which Form 990 should KZYX have filed?

Most federally tax-exempt organizations (with some exceptions like churches and state institutions) file a 990. All 501(c)(3) private foundations file a 990. The IRS provides information to help determine which form to file. Smaller nonprofits with gross receipts of less than $50,000, like KZYX, should file Form 990-N (e-Postcard). KZYX's budget, incidentally, is approximately $550,000, so an e-Postcard is unacceptable.

Third, what happens if our nonprofit does not file IRS Form 990?

If an organization fails to file Form 990 three years in a row, the IRS will automatically revoke its tax-exempt status. Since 2011, more than 500,000 nonprofits across the country automatically lost their tax-exempt status for this reason.

The IRS has no appeal process for automatic revocations due to failure to file an appropriate Form 990 for three years. Without this status, an organization could be subject to paying income taxes. Additionally, an organization can avoid paying user fees and filing additional documents with the IRS by submitting its Form 990 each and every year.

Fourth, can IRS Form 990 be seen by the public?

Yes. Nonprofit organizations are required to make their IRS Form 990 and their exemption application available for public inspection during regular business hours. Many nonprofits make 990s available for viewing on their websites. You can also view them at Guidestar, an organization that compiles information about nonprofits.

Click on: http://www.guidestar.org/Home.aspx

Again, anyone can do their own search. KZYX is legally known as Mendocino County Public Broadcasting, and their EIN is 68-0050440.

See for yourself if John Coate really left KZYX in better shape than he found it. See if he really was the financial miracle worker, as he claims. Or was it a carefully constructed myth? Remember that Coate was paid an annual salary of $60,000. Over eight years, he sucked about a half million dollars out of the station. Over 25 years, Mary Aigner sucked about a million bucks out of the station. That's pretty damn good for folks with no relevant public radio experience coming into their jobs. That's pretty good for jobs at the station with no formal job descriptions, no meaningful annual job performance reviews, no time logs, and no work logs.

Meanwhile, listeners got no news. Listeners also got failing equipment, dead air, fuzz outs, etc. KZYX also discontinued many popular syndicated programs, like "Prairie Home Companion". Popular programmers like myself, Norman de Vall, and Doug McKenty who raised concerns about management, got purged. We were censored. We were told to shut up. Ultimately, we lost our shows.

And in all that time, there was the constant plea for more money during the station's many, many Pledge Drives.

In other words, members and underwriters paid more but got less.

So, let's be thankful that the old management team is gone. Let's pray that the new management team of Lorraine Dechter and Raoul Van Hall at KZYX weren't left in a hole so deep that it's impossible to climb out of. They seem like good people and deserve better. Let's support them in any way that we can. Become members of the station. Become underwriters. Become volunteers. Be generous. For the record, I am currently a sustaining member of the station and volunteered on the phones during our recent Spring Pledge Drive. I'm highly supportive of Lorraine and Raoul. I'm highly supportive of change.

Be patient with the new team. They have a lot to fix.

And, by God, let's insist on new standards of transparency and accountability. Have a real CPA do our station's audits. We should also file 990 tax returns that are complete, thorough, accurate, and public.

Thank you.

John Sakowicz

KZYX Board of Directors (2013-2016), Board Treasurer (2014)

COFFEE WITH A SUPER DELEGATE

You're Invited: Coffee with Rep. Huffman in Ukiah 5/5

News from Representative Jared Huffman

Dear Friend,

As part of my ongoing public outreach throughout California's 2nd Congressional District, I will be hosting "Coffee With Your Congressman" at Mendocino College's Schat’s Cafe At The Eagle’s Nest in Ukiah on Thursday, May 5. I look forward to answering your questions and sharing how I plan to best represent California’s North Coast in the 114th Congress. Grab a cup of coffee or tea and join me for what I hope will be an informative and lively discussion.

WHEN: Thursday, May 5, 11 am - 12 pm

WHERE: Schat's Cafe At The Eagle's Nest,1000 Hensley Creek Rd, Ukiah, CA 95482

If you'd like to attend, please RSVP at https://coffeewithhuffmanukiah.eventbrite.com

If you have questions, please contact my office at (415) 258-9657.

Hope to see you there,

Congressman Jared Huffman

RANDY BURKE WRITES:

Back around 1982, we were at Candlestick raising hell in the stands. A man of the law approached and requested we tone it down a bit. During the conversation I asked if my son could wear the officer's hat. As you can tell, he obliged and with a smile and let me take the picture. Somehow back then, folks seemed a bit nicer, even the loud ones in the stands. Both son and daughter were impressed.

Randy Burke, Gualala

REDWOOD CHORUS

The Redwood Community Chorus holds its spring concert Friday, May 13 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, May 14 at 2 p.m. at the Mendocino Presbyterian Church. It features works of religious music, including “Benedictus” by Brian Lewis, and Dietrich Buxtehude’s “Kantate.” The gospel song “Down to the River to Pray,” from the film "Oh Brother Where Art Thou" is on the program, along with two romantic, but sad, love songs including the haunting “Come to Me in the Silence of the Night,” a song setting by Greg Gilpin of Christina Rossetti’s poem expressing grief and longing for a loved who has died. Six other short pieces round out the program.

Admission is free, but contributions are welcome.

Many Thanks, Jim Culp

Questions? Please Email our conductor, Jenni Windsonr, at jenninote@mcn.org

OCEAN & INLAND WATER SALMON SEASON REGULATIONS ADOPTED

by Dan Bacher

The California Fish and Game Commission adopted recreational ocean and inland salmon season regulations as presented by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) on April 18, according to a CDFW news release issued on April 26.

The adoption took place during the same meeting in the Santa Rosa where the Commission voted to move forward with a plan to postpone scientific assessments of "marine protected areas," created under the privately-funded Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative, from every five years to every ten years. (http://fishsniffer.com/index.php/2016/04/13/california-fish-and-game-commission-breaks-promise-to-anglers/)

Ocean salmon season dates and management measures are set to coincide with the alternatives adopted by the Pacific Fishery Management Council for federal waters off the California coast. "Inland river seasons adopted by the Commission are identical to the 2015 seasons with the exception of a reduction in the allowable harvest of Klamath Basin Chinook salmon," according to the release.

“Reduced fishing opportunity in the ocean and inland areas are a reflection of lower abundance for some California salmon stocks as compared to recent years, likely as a result of extended drought and generally unfavorable ocean conditions for salmon survival,” said Jennifer Simon, an environmental scientist with CDFW’s Marine Region Salmon Team. “The 2016 seasons are intended to allow limited fishing opportunity on stocks that can support them while providing increased protection for the most vulnerable of stocks.”

While "extended drought" and "generally unfavorable oceans conditions" definitely play a role in the lower salmon stock abundance, Simon failed to mention the abysmal management of Central Valley reservoirs and Delta pumping facilities during the drought by the Bureau of Reclamation and Department of Water Resources that resulted in the death of over 95 percent of the winter-run Chinook and fall-run Chinook salmon fry before making it downriver over the past couple of years.

Simon said an expected ocean abundance of roughly 300,000 Sacramento River fall Chinook (compared to 650,000 last year) will support recreational and commercial opportunities for ocean salmon fisheries off portions of California and Oregon. A projected return of 151,000 spawning adults allows for an inland river recreational harvest of 24,600 adult Chinook.

The Klamath River fall Chinook ocean abundance forecast of 142,200 adults is substantially lower than recent years and the primary reason for ocean fishery constraints. A projected return of 30,909 natural area spawning adults allows for an inland river recreational harvest quota of only 1,110 adult Chinook salmon greater than 22 inches. By comparison, in 2015 the harvest quota was 14,133.

The resulting bag and possession limits and seasons adopted by the Commission are as follows:

Central Valley Rivers:

Daily limit of two fish per day and a possession limit of four fish. On the American and Feather rivers the general season opener is July 16. On the Sacramento River below Keswick Dam to the Red Bluff Diversion Dam, the season opens Aug. 1 and closes Dec. 16. From below the Red Bluff Diversion Dam to the Carquinez Bridge, the season opens July 16 and closes Dec. 16. Please see the 2016 Freshwater Sport Fishing Regulations booklet for openings and closing of specific sections of each river, as well as gear restrictions.

Klamath River:

Daily limit of two fish per day of which only one may be greater than 22 inches, and the possession limit is six fish of which only three may be greater than 22 inches. The Klamath River fall Chinook season opens Aug. 15 and closes Dec. 31, while the Trinity River opens to salmon fishing on Sept. 1 and closes Dec. 31.

Ocean Salmon:

Ocean salmon recreational fisheries include a daily limit of two adult Chinook salmon with four in possession on land with varying size restrictions depending on the area. Season dates include openings in May, June, July, August and the Labor Day weekend in the Crescent City/Eureka area.

Fisheries further south opened on April 2 and will continue through Nov. 13 in the Fort Bragg area, through Oct. 31 in the San Francisco area, through July 15 from Pigeon Point to Point Sur, and through May 31 south of Point Sur. For a more in-depth look at ocean salmon seasons and restrictions, please see www.wildlife.ca.gov/oceansalmon.

The CDFW claimed, "Long-running drought conditions, coupled with suboptimal ocean conditions, have raised serious concerns for Sacramento River winter Chinook salmon, which are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act and have experienced very low survival as juveniles in 2014 and 2015. Fisheries south of Point Arena, particularly recreational fisheries in the greater Monterey Bay region, continue to experience late-season reductions in 2016 to minimize interactions with winter Chinook."

Again, the CDFW again failed to mention that bad management of Central Valley rivers during a drought by the state and federal water agencies and State Water Resources Control Board played a key role in the catastrophic loss of winter-run and fall-run Chinook salmon fry in 2014 and 2015.

As Marc Gorelnik, recreational fishing representative for the Salmon Advisory Subpanel of the PFMC, said on March 13 after the PFMC adopted the salmon season alternatives: “Once again fishermen have to pay the debt incurred by poor decisions by the water managers, particularly the way the Bureau of Reclamation operated Shasta Dam over the past two years, effectively cooking the salmon in warm water on the redds (nests) on the Sacramento.” (http://fishsniffer.com/index.php/2016/03/24/fishery-council-adopts-ocean-salmon-options-for-2016-season/)

Recreational and commercial fishing groups, Tribal leaders, and environmental groups have slammed the Bureau of Reclamation and Department of Water Resources for emptying Trinity, Shasta, Oroville and Folsom reservoirs during the drought in order to export Delta water to corporate agribusiness interests on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, Southern California water agencies and oil companies conducting fracking and other extreme oil extraction methods in Kern County. The draining of the reservoirs resulted in lethally warm water conditions for winter-run and fall-run Chinook salmon on the Sacramento River over the past two years.

Salmon and steelhead are not only are threatened by the mismanagement of Central Valley reservoirs by the state and federal water agencies during a drought and changing ocean conditions, but by Governor Jerry Brown's California Water Fix project to build the Delta Tunnels and a federal plan to raise Shasta Dam. Both plans are opposed by the Winnemem Wintu Tribe and other Tribes, environmental organizations and fishing groups.

COMEDIAN COMES TO UKIAH TO SUPPORT DRUG COURTS ON MAY 14

You would think that addiction and drug courts are no laughing matter. Comedian Mark L. is coming to Ukiah to disprove that notion. Mark L. is a nationally renowned twelve step comedian who has been cracking up audiences of addicts and “normals” for many years. His brand of irreverent humor cuts to the core of addiction and the behaviors that surround it. Mark L. returns to Ukiah after a show four years ago which had the audience in stitches.

The performance is a benefit for the Friends of Drug Court, a non-profit organization affiliated with the Ukiah Community Foundation that provides grants of up to $250 to participants in the Mendocino County Drug Courts to help remove barriers to recovery such as costs related to education, housing, driver’s licenses, tattoo removal, and dentistry.

The evening is also a celebration of the 20th anniversary of Drug Courts in Mendocino County. It will recognize the founding members who organized the first Adult Drug Court in Mendocino County in 1996. At that time the concept of collaborative courts that address all the needs of the defendant was a new one. Now it is a national movement which has expanded across the globe.

The Mark L. event is Saturday, May 14 at 8:00 p.m. at the Ukiah High Cafetorium. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at the Mendocino Book Company on School Street, Ukiah Hospice on State Street in Ukiah, or at the door.

For more information contact:

Kathleen Forbes
Friends of Drug Court
(707)463-4178

DEAR MOSTLY CONFUSED POSTMODERN AMERICA

Warmest spiritual greetings, Please know that I have enjoyed a week of sheer unscheduled pleasure in New York City, which has given me time to reflect. Previously, I was in Washington, D.C. protesting (with Beyond Extreme Energy) the irrational, probably criminal, and definitely ecologically stupid policies of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. My question after being in D.C. three times doing this is: "Why don't the landowners who are being invaded by armed government agents protecting pipeline installation workers who are in association with energy companies, who are using "eminent domain" as a legal argument to realize a pipeline from the fracked gas site to a processing plant, to create the final product of liquefied natural gas for export to India and Japan, to increase domestic profits, just kill the trespassers as an act of self defense?" Earth First!ers responded to my query by saying that radical environmentalism is basically committed to "non-violence", although there is an ongoing debate about this apparently, particularly when one's survival is at stake. Eco-defense does not have any tenets inherent which somehow prevent anyone from taking necessary protective action. It's that simple. Pacifism is ridiculous in a context of ecological self defense. It is the height of stupidity for American political leftists, who have been glorifying revolutionary historical figures for years, and praising global contemporary anarcho-revolutionary efforts, to adopt an ineffective dissent approach domestically. This is especially true in view of the demented anti-earth presidential primaries, the scientifically proven destabilized global climate, the hole in the ozone layer, a worldwide garbage dump oceanic situation, species decline, unhealthy air and water quality, and feel free to add your own concerns to the list. The masses of humanity need to understand that they are fucked. With the only exception of cultivating a spiritual life, the future on planet earth is pointless. You know it, and I know it. I am chillin' at Poets House today in lower Manhattan. Feel free to contact me if you like, at CraigStehr@inbox.com

Craig Louis Stehr

New York City