Mendocino County Today: Wednesday, June 8, 2016

• Election Results
• Love Bolts
• Williams Leaving
• Baseball Awards
• PA Protest
• Everything's On
• Wax Promoted
• Albion Phones
• Philo Praises
• Boss Correction
• Control Burn
• Mendo Board
• Yesterday's Catch
• Election Holiday
• Missing Alex
• Tunnels Plan
• KZYX Trouble
• Colonel's Bucket
• Broadband Meetings
• Remembering Ali
• Remembering Debs
• Groundwater Act
• Museum Closure
• Ukiah Concert

ELECTION RESULTS

Presidential Primary: CHRIST SAVE US ALL Hillary Clinton claims victory as Democratic nominee

• California (as of about 11pm): Hillary Clinton 61%, Sanders 38%
• Montana: Sanders 51%, Clinton: 45%
• South Dakota: Clinton 51%, Sanders 49%
• New Mexico: Clinton 53%, Sanders 47%
• North Dakota: Sanders: 64%, Clinton: 26% (no explanation available for the missing 10%)
• New Jersey: Clinton: 59%, Sanders 41%

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LOCAL INITIAL RETURNS

Early returns Tuesday Night for Mendocino County as of around 11pm, 8688 votes cast/counted, 18.6% of registered voters.

(Note: In the June 2012 Presidential Primary about 20,000 votes were cast. So the 8688 is almost 44% of likely total votes.)

Superior Court Judge: Keith Faulder 55.6%, Patrick Pekin: 44.1% (But based on the vote totals for the Fourth District Supervisor in which Dan Gjerde is running unopposed, the early votes so far are predominantly from inland, and Coast votes, where Pekin is expected to do better, are not yet in in large numbers.)

Supervisor 1st District: Incumbent Carre Brown: 75.5%, challenger Montana Podva: 24%.

Measure U (Fort Bragg/Social Service zoning restriction): Yes: 43.7%, No: 56.3%.

Measure V (Countywide, Standing Dead trees declared nuisance): Yes: 57.3%, No: 42.7%.

Measure W (Countywide, Mendocino County a Charter County): Yes: 40.4%, No: 59.6%.

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PS. Mendo so far is going for Sanders over Clinton, 59% to 39%.

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UPDATE: http://www.co.mendocino.ca.us/acr/current.htm

SAN BERNARDINO MAN ARRESTED IN POINT ARENA ON SUSPICION OF COMMITTING SEXUAL OFFENSES WITH A MINOR ESCAPES CUSTODY AT COURTHOUSE

(Original Press Release upon arrest last fall) — The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office said it arrested a San Bernardino County man last Friday on suspicion that he was trying to engage in sexual related activities with an underage Point Arena girl. Sheriff’s deputies were called to the girl’s Point Arena home at 9:25 p.m. Oct. 29 after one of her parents suspected something suspicious was going on. During its investigations, the Sheriff’s Office suspected that Thessalonian Catrell Love, 25, of Apple Valley, had established contact with the underage girl via a “social networking Internet website” in which he allegedly obtained nude photographs of the 15 year old, and also allegedly sent her sexually related messages despite being aware she was underage, according to the MCSO report. Love was suspected by the MCSO of travelling to Point Arena to meet with the girl on Oct. 29, with Love reportedly intending to leave the area with her. At 1:14 a.m. Oct. 30, deputies found Love walking along Port Road in Point Arena where he was allegedly found to be in possession of bus tickets to Southern California which the Sheriff’s Office stated supported the belief he was attempting to convince the girl to leave the area with him. Love was then arrested on suspicion of distribution of lewd material, intent to commit a lewd act with a minor, contacting a minor for a sexual offense, child pornography, and annoy or molest of a minor. Love was also found to be on active probation out of San Bernardino County on suspicion of an arson related offense, according to the MCSO. He was booked into the Mendocino County Jail under $200,000 bail.

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About 4 pm Tuesday afternoon, June 7, 2016, Love bolted from the County Courthouse after testifying at his trial. A search immediately commenced. As we post tonight, no word if Love has been taken into custody. He was last seen running south on School Street.

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Sheriff Department Looking For Escapee

MendocinoSportsPlus first received word of a foot pursuit in Ukiah @ 4:42 pm, then received this: "This is a notification from Mendocino County Mass Notification System: Escaped inmate from Ukiah Courthouse in Ukiah CA subject is a black male adult last seen running from courthouse approximately 4:25pm June 7th. last seen wearing tan pants, black shirt, knee brace that is not visible, not handcuffed, with 2 inch dreadlocks; if subject is observed contact your local law enforcement by calling 911. thank you. If you have any questions or if you received this notification in error, please contact the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office at (707) 463-4086."

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Bruce McEwen Reports: On my way from the County Seat Bureau Offices (CSBO) of the Anderson Valley Advertiser, Main Street, Ukiah, to judge candidate Keith Faulder's election night bash, a funny thing happened a ham, in fact, would say, like, dude, a funny thing happened on my way. The Cops were everywhere, in combat gear. Here I am in a waiter's jacket and a necktie, w/ my I VOTED sticker plastered over my Faulder button.

The Patrol Sergeant says, “Where's the party, McEwen?”

“Faulder's Offices — you coming?”

“We've got a fugitive.” The Sergeant nodded in the direction of four officers in combat gear trying to keep up with a police dog on the trail. Turns out it's the guy from the cho-mo case in Judge Moorman's courtroom. I have refused to cover this case. The testimony is unprintable, and the object lesson of going through all this filth is, supposedly, to alert the community to a problem. eh? As the Faulder election party went on, Sheriff Allman (a Faulder endorser) came in. Try as I might to button-hole him, he was always engaged with dignitaries… Wait, there's a call coming in, maybe they caught the police dog!

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UPDATE: Back in custody. The defendant was nabbed by a corrections officer on West Perkins within an hour of his dash from the county courthouse.

BAD NEWS from the north. We understand that Linda Williams will be leaving her long-time job with The Willits News. An excellent reporter, Linda's loss is one more sign that the chain-owned paper is dying as its distant owners consolidate their Mendo holdings. Those ever more tenuous holdings consist of The Willits News, the Ukiah Daily Journal and the Advocate/Beacon based in Fort Bragg.

LINDA WILLIAMS is not the only casualty at The Willits News. She has departed before the paper's staff is reduced by a third and will be managed out of the Ukiah Daily Journal's office in Ukiah. By the end of the month The Willits News will consist of three people.

WHEN A LONG-TIME reporter like Linda Williams leaves, she takes a library of local knowledge and history with her, and in a transient place like Mendocino County the recent history of the area — 1970 to the present — now resides with about a dozen people, Linda being one of them, and a crucial one of them. Sure, there are old timers in Willits and every other community in the County who know some part of the local history. But newspaper people, simply because they're in place to hear and write about local people and events on a daily basis, know a lot more. We often joke at the AVA that if we printed everything we know we'd have to move around in a Humvee surrounded by Seal Team Six. Official history is pretty tame. The off the record stuff is the true history of this place. Newspaper people know what a wild and crazy place this endlessly fascinating county is. I'm sure Linda Williams could tell some stories....

OUR ONGOING JOKE here at Boonville's beloved weekly is that we find ourselves in our seventh decade publishing an English language paper in a Spanish-speaking community as all of America under the age of sixty goes twitter tweet-tweet. Objectively, I'd have to say the enterprise is doomed.

THE INFORMAL HISTORY we've accumulated resides in about thirty boxes of random diary-like notes and miscellaneous stuff, much of which, like a Mendo version of the Kennedy Assassination files will have to remain unopened for at least a hundred years. Great reading for the great-grandkids, though. (If someone’s around to translate it into emoticons…)

BOONVILLE BASEBALL AWARD WINNERS 2016

Jared Johnston: Team MVP award, and NCL3 League Co-MVP. Hit league-leading .650. 5-1 as pitcher with 1.7 league ERA with 58 strikeouts.

Cesar Soto: Team Silver Slugger Award with .625 avg. 1st Team All-League.

Tony Pardini: 1st Team All-League. 5-1 as pitcher! 1.58 era. 30 strike outs.

Second Team All-League:
 Jonas Lane: .500 League batting avg. 
JT Carlin: .500 avg.

League Honorable Mention: Isak Parra: Batted .450

NOT A GOOD YEAR TO BE A TEACHER ON THE COAST

Point Arena students took to Main Street, Point Arena this morning to express their dissatisfaction with the dismissal of three teachers at the high school. Mendocino Unified also dumped three teachers unceremoniously this Spring while Fort Bragg got rid of FOUR! We have to ask: where are the teacher UNION reactions to all these firings? They're mute. There's something amiss when STUDENTS take the lead over the teacher unions. It boggles the mind.

TEACHER REACTION: We saw this post from one of the teachers involved in the dismissals (Whitney Badgett Hasan): "I just want to say how much I love our community and our students. I have no words for what they did today in support of teachers, fellow students, and our community. They are brave, intelligent, creative, talented and absolutely amazing. I will never forget this day and am still at a loss for words about their support and kindness and I am forever humbled. All I can say is thank you, from the bottom of my heart."

(Courtesy Mendocino Sports Plus)

HELP YOURSELF, RIDLEY

On 06-06-16, at about 4:00 AM, a member of the family who share use of a residence north of Fort Bragg on Blueberry Hill Road, left the residence. On 06-06-16, at about noon, another family member — Blake Thorton, a 33 year old male from Dixon — arrived at the unoccupied residence and upon entering found it occupied by a strange, naked, male subject asleep on their couch. They retreated from the house and called 911 from a nearby location. A male subject, later identified as Zyler Ridley, 31, of Ukiah, had forced entry into the residence. Ridley turned on the all of the faucets and shower, turned on all of the electric heaters, turned on all of the stove burners, stripped and placed his clothes in the washing machine, then fell asleep on the couch. Ridley was still asleep on the couch when Mendocino County Sheriff's Deputies arrived. Deputies awoke Ridley and he was arrested without incident for residential burglary, and he was also found to be wanted for absconding from parole supervision. Zyler Ridley was lodged at the Mendocino County Jail for Residential Burglary and Violation of Parole and is being held without bail by state parole.

BOONVILLE BOY MAKES GOOD, REAL GOOD

Anderson Valley Native Jon Wax promoted to EVP Original Programming, WGN America

WGN America Promotes Development Executive Jon Wax To Executive Vice President, Original Programming

LOS ANGELES, June 7, 2016 - Following record-setting ratings and expanded original programming over the past three years, respected development executive Jon Wax has been promoted to Executive Vice President, Original Programming, WGN America and Tribune Studios. The announcement was made today by Matt Cherniss, President and General Manager, WGN America and Tribune Studios, to whom Wax will continue to report.

Cherniss said, "From the beginning, Jon has been instrumental in putting WGN America on the map as a home for dynamic scripted shows, and is as good a development executive as there is in the business. His eye for talent and willingness to take risks on daring programming has become a signature element of WGN America's programming slate."

WGN America's new original series premiering this year, "Underground" and "Outsiders," outperformed the network's 2015-2016 primetime average by +1,115%, +1,016%, respectively, among Adults 18-49 in Live +7 viewing. The series premiere of "Underground" made history for WGN America, ranking as the most-watched program in nearly 18 years on the network and became part of the pop culture zeitgeist as the #1 most social cable drama on Wednesday nights. "Outsiders," the second highest-performing series on the network, consistently ranked among the top 20 dramas on cable this season. Both dramas return for second seasons in 2017. The network's popular drama "Salem" returns for a third season this October.

In his new role, Wax will continue to oversee all scripted series development for WGN America and Tribune Studios. Previously, Wax served as Senior Vice President, Scripted Programming, driving the development slate as the network transformed from a superstation with no scripted originals into a cable entertainment destination that has launched four new dramas thus far, including recent hits "Underground" and "Outsiders" as well as the breakout series "Salem" and the critically acclaimed series "Manhattan," which garnered the network's first Emmy Award.

Wax joined WGN America in 2013 to oversee the new scripted programming initiative, reuniting with his former mentors at Fox, Peter Liguori and Matt Cherniss. Before that, he spent nearly 15 years on the Fox lot, the last four of which he was VP, Drama Development at 20th Century Fox Television. Previously, he held positions with the Fox network's Drama Development group where he helped shepherd "Prison Break," "Bones" and other shows to series. He began his executive career in Current Programming at Fox, where he covered shows such as "24," "Firefly" and "Malcolm in the Middle."

Originally from Anderson Valley, a rural community in Mendocino County, California, Wax attended Haverford College in Philadelphia, where he competed in fencing and earned a BA degree in Asian History.

PHONE PROBS FOR ALBION NATION

No dial tone on Albion ridge

On 6/7/2016 10:03 AM, Sam G wrote:

Anyone having phone troubles on the ridge??

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Here's one. All last week my old modem couldn't stay connected for more than a minute or so to the MCN dialup internet number. When I made calls, I heard a rushing sound on my phone line, like when you have DSL and you plug a phone in without a DSL filter. (There's not DSL service out Albion Ridge.) Same thing when I plugged a known-good phone into the box outside: shhhhhthhhhhthhhhttthhh. MCN said to call the phone company. I got a phone company guy out. He said, "There's nothing wrong with your line." I said that I'd seen phone men out on the road a couple of weeks ago messing with one of the three-foot-tall gray-green phone connection stands that a few years ago some crazy person had apparently gone up and down the road smashing. The guy said, "Sometimes they have to work on those, yeah." And he went away. Then I couldn't connect to dialup at all. I used a telephone to dial the dialup number, and a robot voice immediately said, "All circuits are busy. Please try your call again later." I tried an hour later and then again about five hours later. So I could call from my phone to any other phone number but for MCN's dialup number "all circuits are busy." I called MCN, described the problem, and was told, "When you get a message, 'All circuits are busy,' that's coming from the telephone company, not from us." I'm away now, and I can't test it from home, but dialing the MCN dialup number from Rohnert Park results in a good attempt-to-connect dialup shriek sound. And now I'm reading on the list that others on Albion Ridge are having phone problems too. So, yeah.

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

FROM THE SF WEEKLY LAST WEEK

Philo — Distance from S.F.: 121 miles.

One good way to know you're in a tiny town is if the elevation exceeds the population. Philo — elev. 331 — somehow manages to retain the feel of a hamlet even though it's home to 349 souls, however. This beautiful bend in the road in inland Mendocino County, three hours north of San Francisco on Highway 128, can be a rainy place in the winter. But it comes alive in the summer, especially at the Madrones, a complex of tasting rooms and guest quarters that's neither a hotel nor a B&B but rather a working winery with sleeping accommodations (as well as Stone and Embers, Chef Patrick Meany's intimate restaurant). It's a great place to do absolutely nothing, but summer events like the Barrel-Tasting Festival and the Not So Simple Living Fair draw plenty of city dwellers to the area. Plus, can you ever really get tired of smelling redwoods?

Bonus add-on: Boonville, a slightly larger hamlet a bit further south on 128, is home to the Anderson Valley Brewing Company and its famous sour beers (plus a disc-golf course).

CORRECTION

Anderson Valley's most intriguing winemaker and all-round intoxicants entrepreneur, Kelly Boss, has not settled with the DA as previously reported here. Boss goes before a jury on July 18. Boss's attorney, the formidable E.D. Lerman, had been in negotiations with the DA to settle his case, but the DA said no dice to Boss's proposal. In May, 2014 Boss owned two parcels — 14 acres on Cameron Road in Elk, and 20 acres on Chardonnay Lane in Philo in the Holmes Ranch subdivision. There were combined mortgage payments of $13,000 per month on the properties. For six months prior to his big bust by the County Drug Task Force, Boss's monthly PG&E bills were averaging $4,500. During the subsequent raids on Boss's two properties, $31,111 in cash was seized along with processed and packaged bud. Another $8,100 in cash was found in another building stuffed in a manila envelope. In a downstairs laundry area, a rotating bookshelf was found, concealing a steel door leading to a hidden drying room many more pounds of dope were found.

WATCH THIS ONE GO UNCONTROLLED REAL FAST (IT'S TOO DRY OUT THERE FOR THESE FIREBUGS TO MESS AROUND WITH MATCHES)

Lake Mendocino Dam Control Burn Scheduled

Willits – On Monday evening, June 13, 2016, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in cooperation with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), will be conducting a control burn at the Coyote Valley Dam. The control burn will commence at 5:00 P.M. and will last until 9:00 P.M. The smoke will be visible throughout the entire Ukiah and Redwood Valley areas.

The purpose of the control burn is to assist the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in removing the vegetation from the face of the Coyote Valley Dam allowing access and visibility for a required inspection.

Coyote Dam and the Fish Hatchery area near the base of the dam will be closed to the public. The burn will be conducted under very tight restrictions for the personal safety of firefighters and area residents. CAL FIRE reminds all residents that their safety is of the utmost concern.

THE MENDOCINO HISTORICAL SOCIETY, A TRIBUTE (VIA MCN):

Last night, the invalid, power hungry, narcissistic historical board levied a fine on St Anthony's because in replacing their sign they used FAKE WOOD instead of REAL wood. Anyone driving by cannot tell the difference but the hysterical society member crouched down and picked at the sign, deeming it offensive and out of spec. Yet the sign was the exact dimensions of the old sign. Wow, the intelligence of this board is staggering.

So the stance this immature anti-everything group of people is, DO NOT PROTECT TREES but in fact to keep up appearances these three idiots (none of who are qualified to even sit on this committee) want all Mendocino business to kill trees when signage is involved.

Not one of these board members holds any credentials or qualifications to sit and pass judgement....absolutely none. Except the need to rule over and HARASS residents and businesses of Mendocino.

Also, it should be known the ruling is invalid because Cindy Arch (one of the three mental giants on the board) did not excuse herself from voting. The reason being is Cindy wanted so badly to be on the Humane Society but the Humane society (in a very wise decision) decided against her application (and for good reason it seems). Members of St Anthony are board members on said Humane Society and Cindy's action are her small, petty retributions. This will be brought to the Supervisors attention.

I urge every Mendocino resident to contact the Supervisors of Mendocino County and vacate this nazi board that is stifling businesses AND residents of this great township.

Here is the link to the meeting last night. http://www.co.mendocino.ca.us/planning/meetings.htm?type=4

Here is the link to email/write your supervisors https://www.co.mendocino.ca.us/bos/

You can tweet your concerns using @countymwndocino or #commiemendoboard

Is time to take back control from these miniscule, ill willed people.

CATCH OF THE DAY, June 7, 2016

DAVID AVALOS, Willits. Failure to appear.

SEBASTIAN CEJA, Ukiah. Probation revocation.

MICHAL DURNIN, Carolsbad [Carlsbad]/Fort Bragg. Drunk in public, probation revocation.

LEE FERRELL, Santa Rosa/Fort Bragg. Trespassing, drunk in public.

ADAM GRIFFEN, Calpella. Failure to appear.

LUIS HERNANDEZ-GARCIA, Ukiah. False imprisonment, criminal threats.

TRACY HERNANDEZ, Ukiah. Trespassing.

HOPE JARVIS, Baberton, Ohio/Ukiah. Petty theft.

DANIEL PIERCE JR., Ukiah. Battery with serious injury, controlled substance, probation revocation.

ZYLER RIDLEY, Ukiah. Burglary, parole violation.

CHRISTANE RODRIGUEZ, Willits. Under influence, paraphernalia.

JOSHUA SHELLY, Willits. Under influence.

DANTE WOOLFOLK, Ukiah. Protective order violation.

ELECTION DAY FOR ALL

(On Line Comment) I just signed a petition to make Election Day a national holiday — will you? One of the most effective things we could do right now to increase voter turnout and participation in the U.S. is making Election Day a national holiday, freeing up millions of working people to get to the polls and participate in our democracy. Join me and sign this petition by going to:

http://act.credoaction.com/sign/Election_Holiday?sp_ref=.4.168827.e.533033.2&referring_akid=.670819.2oNxHW&source=mailto_sp

MISSING ALEXANDER COCKBURN DURING THE CRAZIEST ELECTION SEASON EVER

by Joanna Graham

I still miss Alexander Cockburn — his deep intelligence and broad erudition, his passionate engagement and devilish wit, but, most of all, I miss his bubbly, irrepressible optimism. Whenever, after still another horrible something had happened and every other leftist had put a pistol to his or her head, finger on the trigger, Alex inevitably wrote a piece about why we should all be gladdened because, for reasons x, y, and z, the “something” presented unparalleled opportunities for human advancement.

What would he be writing during this surreally horrific presidential election year? I keep trying to figure this out, given what I know about his opinions. Of course he loathed the Clintons. Not surprising, who doesn’t? But one of his many idiosyncratic pet peeves was the relatively obscure and harmless Vermont politico Bernie Sanders, whom Alex detested as an absolute phony, a man who called himself socialist while always voting as a moderate — that is, right-wing — Democrat. In fact, I might never have heard of Bernie Sanders if Alex hadn’t devoted so many column inches over the years to attacking him.

So would he now be cheerfully urging us to take a chance and vote for Donald Trump? Would he be crowing because this guy who thumbs his nose at Wall Street, refuses to take the pledge to destroy Social Security, and suggests we might be friends with Russia and that it’s time to wind up NATO came out on top in a field of 17 starters, and did it in large part because the mainstream media screwed itself, over the years turning politics into infotainment, creating instant celebrities via “reality,” blurring the lines between the real and unreal, the important and the trivial, deliberately mystifying and dumbing down the American public, already made supremely ignorant by American public schools?

Alex actually loved and trusted the ordinary folk of the U.S.A. He was always flying out to Georgia or wherever it was where his favorite mechanic fixed up old classic American cars for him. He would then drive the latest back through the South, stopping to visit old friends, publishing opinions as he went on the best barbecue joints along his route. And of course he eschewed the “liberal” Bay Area, choosing instead to live in Humboldt County, among the rural working folk and hippies, where he happily hiked, hunted, and kept his horse and many other beloved animals.

I am certain he would be cheering this year that the masses rose up and thumbed their noses at the entire stinking Republican establishment — and at the Clintons too, steeped in their corruption (although the Bernie problem remains). Not to forget that only Alex, quoting Hannah Arendt, recognized the Rodney King riot as a moment of “public happiness” and cheered the participants on. His desire to upend the existing rotten order burned within him so strongly that it blinded him sometimes to the real pain of disorder.

For there is also Trump’s narcissism, detachment from reality, monumental ignorance, and misogyny. Would Alex have urged us to simply ignore these and other major character defects? (Having written this list, I’m realizing that the first three also characterize Hillary Clinton and the last one her husband as well — as I’m sure Alex would have quickly pointed out. Thanks, Alex.)

How did we get to this pass, where both likely nominees are abhorrent, partly for the same, partly for different reasons? Where, in fact, as opposite as they may superficially appear, they both belong to and even sometimes cross paths in the same New York City circle, wealthy beyond imagining from finance, insurance, and real estate, the greedy FIRE sector that is gobbling its way through the American economy and American lives to feed its own insatiable appetite for more mansions, islands, airplanes, yachts. And both hover, in a sense, on the nervous edge of it: Bill and Hill, the arrivistes, cadging rides on other people’s private jets or giving quarter-million-dollar “speeches” in return for “access”; Trump, possibly the pretender, who may not be as rich as he claims, whose deals may not have been as successful as he boasts, who played a power broker on TV for umpteen seasons, while the real power brokers stay out of sight, sliding from meeting to meeting in their darkened limos, keeping their mouths tightly shut.

How did we get to this pass, where the two likely nominees, equally of bad character, equally detested and rightly so, are both fringe members of the same financial one percent, panting to be richer, more important, more powerful than they are, terrified to wake up and find themselves back in Arkansas “dead broke” or standing in bankruptcy court with no state of New Jersey to bail them out. Bad characters, hypocrites, pretenders, liars, self-deluders — spawned by a culture in which lies are the norm, in which all day every day people are paid to lie, compelled to lie, and rewarded for lying well. How could we expect either to be capable of honesty or decency or fellow feeling?

Quite a long time ago, even before the 17 Republican candidates filed, I started to panic, asking myself why, when the human race faces so many looming interlocking catastrophes, neither party was likely to come up with a candidate who was even adequate. And then I realized the question provides its own answer. The breakdown of the political system is part of the general crisis.

What then is to be done? I, for one, intend to vote for Bernie in the upcoming primary in the hope that he will carry California. That way, both parties will go to their conventions understanding that they are in deep trouble, the Republicans with a nominee picked by the people the party cannot support and the Democrats, a.k.a. the Clinton machine, with a self-selected nominee crowned by the party whom the voters have rejected.

“There’s a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can’t take part! You can’t even passively take part! And you’ve got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels…upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and got to make it stop! And you’ve got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it, that unless you’re free, the machine will be prevented from working at all!” Mario Savio, December 2, 1964.

Remember?

(Joanna Graham writes for the Berkeley Daily Planet, where this originally appeared. Courtesy, CounterPunch.org)

DELTA TUNNELS PLAN STILL MAKES ZERO SENSE

by Dan Bacher

The state and federal governments pleaded their case for Governor Jerry Brown’s controversial Delta Tunnels plan in testimony submitted to the State Water Resources Control Board on May 31 and in a media teleconference held on June 1, claiming that the planned new water diversion points won’t endanger other water users.

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) and Bureau of Reclamation submitted their testimony and evidence as required for upcoming public Water Board hearings regarding their request to add three new points of diversion on the Sacramento River for the California WaterFix. That’s the new name for the plan to build two tunnels under the Delta to export water to agribusiness interests on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California water agencies.

In response, Restore the Delta, a coalition opposed to the project, described the testimony as “largely a rehash of unsubstantiated claims about the Delta Tunnels project that have not been proven, despite more than 40,000 pages of environmental review that the US Environmental Protection Agency has declared is still inadequate (a failing grade.)”

Part 1 of the hearings, scheduled to begin July 26, focuses on two questions: Does the new point of diversion alter water flows or affect water quality such that there would be injury to any legal user of the water, and does the project in effect initiate a new water right?”

In Part I of the hearings and with the submitted testimony, DWR claimed it will “present evidence” to show that the proposed change “will neither initiate a new water right nor injure any other legal user of water.”

John Laird, Secretary for the California Natural Resources Agency, touted the alleged water supply reliability and environmental benefits of the Delta Tunnels Plan.

“With California WaterFix, we seek to improve upon the unreliable way water is now conveyed through the Delta, reduce or eliminate costs to the environment and economy from our aging water infrastructure and better prepare the state for effects of climate change,” said Laird. “The key elements of California WaterFix have long been part of the State’s comprehensive vision for the Delta, and the Water Board hearings are an important step in the advancement of the project.”

In the conference call, Laird claimed the Delta Tunnels plan “protects and restores” the Delta ecosystem.

“We believe that WaterFix mitigates the risk to our water supply due to climate change and earthquakes, and protects and restores the Delta ecosystem, and offers clean and secure water for much of California,” Laird said. “Without this, California and the state’s economy risk devastating losses of water supply.”

Mark Cowin, Director of the Department of Water Resources, contended that the California WaterFix would not establish a new water right.

“Through hundreds of pages of testimony submitted yesterday in advance of the hearings, DWR’s team of engineers, lawyers and water experts shows that WaterFix will not establish a new water right, will not injure any other legal user of water and will not negatively impact flows or water quality,” said Cowin.

DWR also claimed in their testimony, “New, properly screened intakes, as proposed in the California WaterFix, would better protect fish and allow us to use the existing south Delta pumps in a strategic and flexible manner in a dual conveyance system with the proposed north delta diversions.”

“To this we say, prove it!” Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Executive Director of Restore the Delta (RTD), responded. “The environmental impact report for the project already tells us you can’t! Show Californians, and federal wildlife agencies, proof that the Delta Tunnels plan will protect West Coast fisheries, because that proof is certainly not found in the environmental impact report.”

In fact, the CalFed Record of Decision of 2000 required the installation of state-of-the-art fish screens to protect salmon, steelhead, striped bass, Delta and longfin smelt and many other fish species, but the water contractors have refused to pay for these new screens to stop the massacre of millions of fish at the Delta pumping facilities every year. Delta advocates are very skeptical that effective new fish screens would ever be installed at the new intakes when the mandated screens were never built for the South Delta pumping facilities.

“And when it turns out the Tunnels are not protective of endangered species, what then? Will the Delta Tunnels remain dry from ongoing drought?” Barrigan-Parrilla asked. “If not, where is the proof with a water availability analysis?”

“The CA WaterFix is nothing more than a very expensive gamble based on cherry picked science. But now we have the opportunity to get at the facts in a formal hearing process. We relish the opportunity,” she said.

Tim Stroshane, policy analyst for RTD, challenged DWR’s contention that their petition is not a new water right.

“DWR’s case-in-chief maintains that an old diversion point in their permits at Hood in the north Delta is ‘close enough’ to the new Tunnels intakes at Clarksburg and Courtland to justify the Board deciding this is a small change in their permits,” said Stroshane.

“Instead we think Hood is a different location than either Clarksburg or Courtland. Board rules require that water availability analysis is done for new water right applications. And the outcome of this decision could result in the Tunnels getting water rights that are over fifty to seventy years junior to the rest of the State Water Project,” he stated.

DWR also argues that their petition is not a new water right because they claim that several operational aspects of the Tunnels, including upstream storage, and overall Banks/Jones pumping, will not change materially; this is merely a “modification” of the existing CVP and SWP permits.

“Delta advocates beg to differ,” said Stroshane. “Any added diversion point requires issuance of a new water right permit. If the State Water Board agrees with Delta advocates and decides it’s a new water right, Tunnel backers would need to do a water availability analysis to follow their procedures.”

“We doubt they would find enough water to sustain the Tunnels project. They already don’t have enough,” Stroshane said.

Stroshane also noted that DWR provided no costs-benefits analysis in its submissions.

“While DWR submitted over 5,000 pages for its case to the Board, they submitted no exhibits addressing why the economic benefits and costs of the Delta Tunnels proposal are in the public interest. This is a huge omission,” he emphasized.

“It appears likely that the agency has refined its modeling to buttress their existing talking points, such as the alleged benefits of dual conveyance providing flexible response to listed fish for real time operation of diversions. They also continue to claim that water rights holders will not be injured by Tunnels operations, without specifics,” Stroshane stated.

Tunnel opponents say the construction of the two massive water diversion tunnels under the Delta would hasten the extinction of Sacramento River winter run Chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead, Delta and longfin smelt and other species and endanger family farms on the Delta. The project will also imperil salmon and steelhead populations on the Klamath and Trinity rivers, since massive quantities of Trinity River water are diverted every year through a tunnel through the Trinity Mountains to the Sacramento River watershed every year.

Part II of the hearings is expected to take place in early 2017 and “will focus on the extent to which fish and wildlife and other beneficial uses will be affected by the requested change in point of diversion and any measures needed to protect fish and wildlife from any unreasonable impacts of the change,” according to DWR.

DWR’s testimony regarding its petition for change to its water right permit is available here: cms.capitoltechsolutions.com/…

The petition for the new points of diversion can be found here:www.waterboards.ca.gov/…

On the same day that DWR and the Bureau submitted their testimony, Governor Jerry Brown endorsed Hillary Clinton in the Democratic presidential primary. It is believed that one of the key reasons why Brown endorsed Clinton is to get her to support the Delta Tunnels and his other controversial water policies.

GOTCHA, TAKE 150

Editor,

KZYX Policy Questions

In 2010, KZYX employee John Coate started hiding Form 990s from the KZYX Board of Directors. He did that for five years. This was no accident, but policy. Stated on the Form 990s themselves: “No review (of this Form 990) was or will be conducted.” Inside each of these forms was an astonishing declaration. Sworn under penalty of perjury by Mr. Coate. That no audited financial statements had been prepared for each of those five years.

In a recent Ukiah Daily Journal editorial, KZYX’s entire Board of Directors stated that audited financial statements had been prepared. And that nothing was wrong with its Form 990s. This statement will surely draw fire from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting. Who provided KZYX with over $1 million in grants. On KZYX’s assurance that audited financial statements had been prepared. When KZYX knew they hadn’t.

One of those statements is a lie. Covered by the disastrous policy of hiding Form 990s from voting board members. KZYX members deserve an explanation for this. At the next Board of Directors meeting. Along with answers to three important questions:

What’s the reason for that policy?

Who sponsored it?

How’d it become KZYX policy?

Responsible board members will demand for this issue to be on the agenda for that meeting. They’ll demand answers too. Otherwise, KZYX will not only risk future CPB funding. But bankruptcy from being forced to repay that $1 million.

Scott M. Peterson

Mendocino

MEGAPHONE to distant alien civilizations? No, just a decommissioned Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket on San Francisco’s Geary Boulevard. Rather than scrap it, they transformed it into “street art.” (Probably would have been cheaper to take it down.) Geary Boulevard is one of the more remarkably depressing thoroughfares in urban America, considering that the city is among the top five most expensive places to live in the USA. Lined mostly with one and two story buildings of no discernible design aesthetic, it’s every bit as bleak and futureless as the Happy Motoring wastelands of Los Angeles.
 Thanks to Beth Lisick for nominating this beauty.

(— James Kunstler)

COMING SOON, WE HOPE

Opportunities to Give Important Feedback

Hello Everyone,

The Broadband Alliance is holding several meetings in June and July that are important opportunities to give feedback concerning business needs for broadband and the impact of loss of 911 during outages.

CPUC Hearing 911 issues: In mid-July the California Public Utilities Commission will be holding a public hearing in Ukiah, with Commissioner Sandoval in attendance. It will be an important opportunity to let the Commission hear directly from residents, in their own words and stories, how they were affected by the outages in August 2014 and September 2015, in regard to 911. It is critical that people who needed to call 911 but weren't able to connect, come to this hearing. If you know of anyone who had that situation, the Alliance would appreciate hearing from you. We will send out an announcement when the date is set.

Business Broadband Needs: The Alliance and the Economic Development and Financing Corporation (EDFC) are hosting two meetings for the business interests in Fort Bragg and Ukiah to provide input about their broadband needs, their thoughts about the current infrastructure, and their vision for the future. These meetings are open to the public, and we invite you to join us for a lively discussion and to share your views and brainstorm solutions.

Time and Location Fort Bragg:

June 20th (Monday)
3:00 - 5:00 pm
Fort Bragg Town Hall
363 N. Main Street
Fort Bragg, CA 95437

Time and Location Ukiah:

June 22nd (Wednesday)
3:00 - 4:30 pm
EDFC office
205 N. Bush Street, Room 252
Ukiah, CA 95482

Agendas will be available the week before the meetings on the Alliance website

<http://www.mendocinobroadband.org/topics/special-sessions/>

or by contacting us directly.

We ask for your help in advertising these meetings, and have attached pdf flyers for the events that you can share via social media, with your group electronically, or print out and post at your location. Please forward this email to anyone who might be interested.

Please see our website

<http://www.mendocinobroadband.org/topics/special-sessions/>

for more information about both meetings.

Thanks, and we hope to see you there!

Diann Simmons
Administrative Coordinator
Broadband Alliance of Mendocino County
707-489-4663
www.MendocinoBroadband.org

AS WE REMEMBER AND HONOR this great sportsman who really ended up serving as a unifier of humanity, across race, class, gender and ethnicity because of the ideals he stood for and lived.

I would like to state that for Pakistanis of my generation who came of age in the 1970s, Muhammad Ali was someone we loved also and importantly because he represented Islam beyond our own parochial borders. And he was dark-skinned, like us.

— Fawzia Afzal-Khan

“IN EVERY AGE it has been the tyrant, the oppressor and the exploiter who has wrapped himself in the cloak of patriotism, or religion, or both to deceive and overawe the People."

― Eugene V. Debs, Voices of a People's History of the United States

GROUNDWATER ALERT

Sustainable Groundwater Management Act Public Meeting

On Tuesday, June 14, 2016, Mendocino County officials and other local groundwater managers will host a public meeting on the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). SGMA is a new law that offers local opportunities to achieve sustainable groundwater conditions and support Mendocino County’s vital agricultural economy, industry, and domestic and public water uses.

The meeting will provide an overview of SGMA, expected responsibilities and benefits for groundwater users, describe Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) options for the Ukiah Valley Basin and steps towards forming a GSA. The public is encouraged to attend to learn more about SGMA and ask questions of local water managers and submit comments.

“SGMA implementation has begun throughout California,” says Supervisor Carre Brown. “We hope groundwater users throughout Mendocino County will attend to learn more. SGMA is an important change in how groundwater is managed and everyone needs to be aware and involved to manage and sustain our precious water resources.”

To support local planning efforts, the County has secured facilitation support from the Department of Water Resources (DWR), hosted workshops to educate the community on SGMA and received a groundwater planning grant through the Water Bond. The County is committed to sharing these resources with local SGMA partners.

“The process of establishing a SGMA compliant groundwater sustainability agency for the Ukiah Valley groundwater basin will hopefully prove to be a collaborative process that will allow for a productive groundwater sustainability plan to be developed in the future for all groundwater users” said Devon Jones, Mendocino County Farm Bureau Executive Director.

The Mendocino County Water Agency SGMA public meeting will be held at the County of Mendocino Administration, 501 Low Gap Road, Ukiah, in Conference Room C. The discussion will begin at 1:00 p.m. This meeting will be open to the public. Stakeholders and all interested parties are encouraged to attend.

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

TEMPORARY MUSEUM CLOSURE

At the request of the Museum Director, the Mendocino County Executive Office, Risk Management division, hired an industrial hygienist to investigate claims of possible mold intrusion at the Mendocino County Museum facility in Willits. On June 7, 2016 testing conducted during the investigation confirmed the presence of sporadic mold intrusion in some portions of the Museum. Although the intrusion is largely limited to the ducting system and not the ambient air, the County has requested that the entire Museum be closed to the public as a precaution. It is anticipated that some portions of the Museum may be reopened outside of the affected area and will be able to resume normal services in a very short period of time.

During this temporary closure, all scheduled on-site Museum activities will be postponed until a reopen date has been established. All activities occurring off Museum property will continue as previously scheduled. For any questions regarding rescheduling an event or activity, please do not hesitate to contact Alison Glassey, Museum Director at 707-459-2736.

Preliminary remediation work is anticipated to begin as early as tomorrow, June 8, 2016 and every effort will be made to reopen the Museum in a timely manner. If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact Alan Flora, Assistant Chief Executive Officer at 707-463-4441.

Carmel J. Angelo, Chief Executive Officer

PRIDE & JOY TO OPEN FIRST CONCERT OF 2016 25^TH ANNIVERSARY SUNDAYS IN THE PARK CONCERTS THIS SUNDAY - JUNE 12th

Ukiah, CA. -This Sunday, June 12th in Todd Grove Park at 6:00pm Fowler Auto & Truck Center, The City of Ukiah, KWNE-FM and MAX 93.5 are proud to present the first concert of the 25th Anniversary Sundays in the Park concert series with the funky R&B and Motown dance music of Pride & Joy. Special guests Casey & India Frey will be performing outrageous HipHop Dance with Attitude during intermission.